Comparative life cycle analysis of drinking water supply on a filmset: the case study of ‘Binti’

Abstract

Quantification of the environmental impact of film production is still under development. Catering for the film crew is estimated to account for 10 to 15% of the total CO2 emission of a production, but specific data on the contribution of the different catering components is largely missing. To partially fill the existing knowledge gap, this study quantifies and compares the environmental impact of drinking water supply on the sets of the Flemish film ‘Binti’. On these sets, drinking water was supplied by means of water dispensers with 15 l mineral water bottles or from the tap in combination with both reusable PP and single-use cardboard cups. The inventory was compiled based on information supplied by the film producer and the equipment suppliers. The environmental impacts were calculated for four different scenarios using the ILCD 2.0 midpoint methodology with a focus on the impact categories of recommendation level I and II. Results show that transportation of the bottled water and the production of the cups had the largest share in the total environmental impacts. Furthermore, the use of a new type of filtered and cooled tap water dispenser made partly of reused and recycled materials, in combination with reusable PP cups, could have reduced by 50% the greenhouse gas emissions of drinking water supply on the ‘Binti’ filmsets. Scenario’s in which only 0.5 l bottles of mineral water or water dispensers with 15 l bottles in combination with reusable cups were used, showed environmental impacts up to 2.5 times higher than in the reference scenario. A more general conclusion is that, to reduce the environmental impact of drinking water supply on their film sets, producers should avoid as much as possible the transport of bottled water by connecting the dispensers to the water mains wherever possible or by using locally bottled water, each time in combination with reusable plastic cups.