Posted on 22nd February 2023
Romulus II wins battle against unsustainable production
Romulus' second season gains albert certification after introducing many sustainable practices on and off set.
Romulus – an Italian television series about the founding of Rome which is produced by Sky, Cattleya, and Groenlandia srl in collaboration with ITV Studios – has recently received albert certification following the sustainable practices that were adhered to during production of its second season. After liaising with the producers, they have shared their production insights with us.
“Romulus 2 was one of the biggest, most complex, stimulating challenges we have faced so far. Being one of the largest productions in Italy, therefore, required massive work to obtain certification and represents an important achievement.“
Collaboration With Zen2030
“Our collaboration with Zen2030 has proven crucial for the success of the project. Zen2030 is an environmental consultancy that supported us throughout all phases of the process. As a specialized company, they provided us with low-impact solutions and suppliers we were not aware of, ensuring that we applied quality measures. They also reported to albert due to the presence of an assigned and dedicated Eco manager.
We appreciated Zen2030 and its method of working as it offers a unique service in Italy. Their analysis of each supplier’s supply chain is what we liked most, allowing them to offer the lowest impact solution on the production.
For these reasons we remain in collaboration on other productions, and are so far very satisfied.“
Sustainable Highlights
Waste management has been optimized, with the introduction of 3 dedicated eco-facilities that were in charge to monitor waste levels daily and ensure proper collection. This enabled us to keep the mixed waste below the 11% threshold.
The same eco-facilities also ensured the daily clean-up of the site, removing anything that would have eventually seeped into the soil after rain, thus contaminating the environment.
All cleaning at the base camp and on set was carried out using biological, chemical-free solutions. In general, all consumables were replaced with lower-impact solutions.
Recycling
We selected the recycling company based on its environmental impact, choosing the company that specializes in recycling waste (rather than disposing of it). The chosen company is also the only one to have all trucks converted to LPG over Petrol or Diesel. This meant a colossal cut of emissions on all waste transports.
Scraps were all recovered: textiles were recycled or donated to charities; construction timbers were returned to the supply chain rather than in landfills; agricultural wastes (deriving from removed shrubs and grasses to make room for villages) were converted into compost.
Catering
The catering company provided us with fully compostable cutlery service and zero air miles products, and, thanks to Zen2030, it also provided 200+ people daily with organic food without fertilizers or pesticides. Moreover, all daily surpluses were donated to a recycling body.
The water jugs on set were chosen based on several factors: the length of the provider’s supply chain; the use of renewable energy on their sites; the type of transportation implemented; the percentage of recycled plastic which made each jug, to name a few.
Hair and Makeup
Low-impact products were used and appreciated.
Transport
The transportation of the extras was managed through shared cars.
Energy
The energy supply of the base camp came from renewable resources, with the support of an extra photovoltaic system in response to the request for an additional 10kw needed.
Onwards & Upwards
“We also offset our emissions through high-quality certified carbon credits, and obtained an additional international certification of Carbon Footprint in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 14064 in order to further solidify our commitment. We are now getting the Carbon Neutrality certification too.
In order to support Zen2030’s aim to go beyond Carbon Neutrality, we also organized the reforestation of a degraded area in Milan, planting over 150 trees. This operation will take place on the 10th of October and is part of the Romulus 2 regenerative approach.”
Romulus 2 is expected to air in 2022.