A new study reveals the approach to sustainability by media and entertainment industry entrepreneurs in Europe.
The report, titled Means & Mindsets: the state of sustainability in the media industry, sheds light on how seriously the industry is taking steps to be more environmentally conscious.
The research, based on a European contact database, aimed to present a realistic view of the sector’s sustainability credentials, including both positive changes already made and barriers hindering more significant progress.
The encouraging news is that, although only 40% of companies care about being perceived as more sustainable, nearly three-quarters (73%) have implemented some operational changes to reduce their environmental impact. The most applied measures have been reviewing travel requirements and on-site staff needs (46% and 33%, respectively) and changes in on-site operations (45%).
Particularly interesting is that more than half of the respondents do not agree that customers, end-users, or viewers are the driving force behind changes in the media. Instead, they indicate that employees within their organization have the most influence in this regard.
Means and mindsets
While the results show that companies care about being seen as more environmentally friendly, the reality is that significant barriers still exist today.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the necessary financial investment to become more sustainable as an industry is one of the biggest obstacles for respondents (46%). Cost is also cited by just under 50% of respondents as the reason their company does not reduce its environmental footprint.
And while more than half of respondents (52%) say that cost is at least sometimes considered in procurement processes, 55% say cost is deemed more important than the sustainability of equipment.
Surprisingly, the study revealed that the sector’s culture and behavior are the second largest barriers to being more sustainable, both for the sector as a whole (41%) and for individual companies (46%).
The study clearly shows that, for the industry to better address environmental challenges, companies must invest more in their sustainability practices. But beyond the financial aspect, we found that what is most needed is a mindset shift, with employees feeling they have the most influence on operational changes. Therefore, we invite companies across the sector to embrace this. Sustainability should be seen as a currency. We must ensure that suppliers, partners, and users are ‘honest’ as part of a movement for change, rather than shrugging off with ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’, commented Olivier Bovis, Director of Media Solutions Business in Europe.
Main findings:
- 73% state that their company has introduced changes to reduce environmental impact.
- 71% state that their company has clear commitments to improving sustainability.
- 43% state that their company actively invests in sustainability.
Obstacles for the industry to adopt more sustainable practices:
- Necessary financial investment (46.7%)
- Sector culture and behavior (41.21%)
- Availability of sustainable products or services (28.02%)
- No requirement to be more sustainable (26.37%)
- Lack of sector policies (24.45%)
- Companies’ commitment to sustainability (24.18%)
49% of respondents state that cost is a major barrier for their company to reduce environmental impact, and 46% cite sector culture and behaviors. 52% say sustainability is at least sometimes considered in the procurement process, but 55% prioritize cost over sustainability.
