Zenergy saving: how Bord Gáis Energy used sustainable production practices

28 February 2025

Challenge

The stakes are high. Bord Gáis Energy has ambitious sustainability and use targets. But so do we as a nation. At Bord Gáis Energy, we’re driven by our purpose to energise a greener, fairer future. As part of this we have committed to become a net zero business by 2045, and to support our customers to transition to net zero by 2050.

Ireland has a number of energy-related targets for 2030 and beyond, relating to energy sources, emissions, end use and efficiency. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 established a legally binding framework for Ireland to transition to a climate neutral economy by 2025.

Brief

To get Ireland to switch to energy-efficiency behaviour through use of a SMART plan. Over 1m+ have an installed SMART meter but aren’t maximising their energy or monetary savings without a SMART plan. We needed a behaviour change campaign that didn’t just move the dial. Instead, our ambition was to live the Bord Gáis Energy purpose. This purpose is to create a greener, fairer future and in practice to support Ireland to transition to sustainable energy use.

We believe in real world impact for effective behaviour change, so our benefit-led message had to be delivered with a smile (you can’t lecture people into change). However, setting out with the ambition to deliver a clever and humorous commercial comes with production challenges for good sustainable practice. For example, to film a lifestyle montage of real people in natural settings will always have an advantage for using less carbon. They can often be captured outside wearing own-clothes in daylight.

To deliver humour requires a created ‘world’ – cast, costume, make-up, art department as well as often a larger and more technical crew using specific lighting set-ups on set. We set an ambitious challenge for the production company Speers films to make each element as sustainable as possible. They enacted simple but powerful carbon and energy-saving protocols that are easily adopted as best practice for future shoots.

Solution

Three key areas – art department, costume and then energy consumption itself (primarily but not exclusively lighting).

Art Department

The Art Department implemented sustainable practices throughout the production, prioritizing low-impact sourcing and reuse of materials. Wherever possible, items were rented, or borrowed from crew members to reduce the need for new purchases. Additionally, materials and props were sourced from the hero location maximizing the use of existing resources and minimizing transportation emissions. This approach not only reduced waste but also aligned with the production’s commitment to sustainability by creatively repurposing items and avoiding unnecessary consumption.

In addition, the location, set and costumes were kept at the same location for the second day of production: photography creating additional efficiencies and saving energy on transport, creation and re-creation. The Art Department’s efforts played a key role in ensuring the overall sustainability of the project.

Costume

The Costume Department prioritized sustainability by focusing on second-hand and borrowed items to reduce carbon impact. The period nature of the commercial really helped support this process. Most wardrobe pieces were thrifted, borrowed or sourced from vintage shops, going back into the circular economy by being returned to thrift to be resold. Cast supplied options also on request which was super helpful. Unused costumes were carefully managed, with plans to return or rehome them after the shoot to ensure nothing went to waste. This resourceful approach not only reduced waste and emissions but also demonstrated the production’s commitment to environmentally conscious practice and the promotion of re-wear culture.

Energy

All lighting was plug and play. No generators and no facilities vehicles such as make-up, costume were used but instead by sourcing one hero location large enough to encompass all the departments, significant energy and carbon savings could be made.

The Electrical Team used only plug and play lights and had no generator, just a lighting truck. There were NO facilities or generator for those. The location provider operated on a renewable energy tariff, ensuring zero emissions were associated with the location.

Other energy savings included:

Production had a ZERO print policy. To mitigate emissions from Travel & Transport, the cast shared taxis which were all EVs ordered by production. The cast engaged in the production were all Dublin based which was where the shoot location was, thus reducing footprint. Catering adhered to sustainable best practice, with vegan and vegetarian options sourced and keep cups as standard. The Agency and client supported production resources from existing teams to save any additional hires being needed for the production office.

Key Takeouts

Careful consideration of each choice can make for significant sustainable production progress and savings. Without the necessity to consider all choices through a sustainable lens, it could be too easy to fall into familiar practices that are not just costly for the environment but more costly for production. Good rules-of-thumb have now been established for future productions.

For more information about our purpose and commitment to net zero, check out our sustainability page Energising a greener, fairer future | Bord Gáis Energy