Reusables for Film & TV Production Sets
Reusables makes zero-waste a reality for film and television production sets. In 2022 we partnered with a Disney production in Vancouver and helped them make an impressive reduction in their environmental impact.
Background
Most productions in BC use single-use containers and coffee cups for their catering and craft services on set. While this is currently the most convenient option, food packaging creates a significant amount of waste and results in material waste hauling costs.
Although some productions have made a step in the right direction in saying no to plastic packaging and opting into compostable containers and cups, the team at Death and Other Details understood the problems with compostable packaging; that being it is still single-use and most of the time ends up in landfills due to a lack of commercial composting infrastructure in BC.
The Production team, spearheaded by Production Manager Hans Dayal and Sustainability Coordinator Noah Rogers, decided to bring Reusables to the Death and Other Details crew. The sustainability team managed the day-to-day Reusables logistics, data tracking & reporting, and ensuring the production adhered to the studio’s Environmental Production Policies. Crafty and catering suppliers, Trisha and Noel from Open Road Catering enthusiastically bought-into the program after seeing the quality stainless steel containers that enhanced the performance of their food.
Throughout the 4-month show, the production was able to divert close to 5 tons of packaging waste while avoiding nearly 20 tons of carbon emissions equivalent. That is a huge impact.
About Reusables.com
Reusables.com is a Vancouver based startup focused on making reusable packaging the default for food service and retail. Reusables.com closes the loop on packaging and helps its clients track their carbon emissions avoidance and waste diversion.
Started in 2021 working with restaurants and cafes, Reusables.com is now helping leading film and television productions enhance their dining experience, reduce carbon emissions and achieve zero packaging waste.
The company offers Reusables-as-a-Service which includes a variety of options such as:
- Impact tracking and sustainability reporting for net zero targets
- Durable plastic-free packaging for catering, crafty, coffee and more
- Mobile or centralized cleaning solutions for the studio and on-location
- Emissions-free logistics
- Reusables Reps for operations and support
We understand the organized chaos that is the film business and are the only reusable packaging platform that has multiple rounds of experience with large production sets.
Our goal is to be as flexible as possible to find a solution that works for your production and achieves your sustainability goals. We can work with existing departments like Transport and Locations to save costs or provide a completely turn-key solution for reuse.
How It Works
Reusables provides stainless-steel durable food containers and coffee cups for all meals on set. Reusables partners with catering, crafty and construction to make sure that the containers work well for their food and enhance the dining experience for the crew.
Crew enjoying their zero-waste lunch on a sunny day.
Practically, all meals are served in reusable containers instead of single-use to the crew, who then return their containers to drop-off bins located next to recycling and compost. Locations is responsible for managing these return stations as normal. The great news is that there is much less garbage to deal with!
If cleaning is happening at our centralized facility, then Reusables delivers an inventory of clean containers and collects the returned containers every day. Locations and PAs are involved in aggregating the returned containers to one area for a more seamless and efficient daily pickup.
Cleaning can also happen at the studio or on-location using our Mobile Washing Trailers! In this case, there is no need for daily logistics and containers can be washed immediately after return. These Mobile Washing Trailers can be easily operated by existing staff from the Locations, Crafty or Catering departments – depending on the production. Reusables.com is also able to provide its Reusables Rep staff to support with the collection and cleaning on-site.
Reusables Was a Win for Everyone!
Catering & Crafty: The Open Road Catering and Crafty teams loved serving their food in Reusables. The double-walled stainless-steel bowls kept the food warm for a longer time and elevated the dining experience. The catering team loved not having to worry about purchasing single-use containers and having to store them. Catering loved the fact that Reusables showed up every day in the amount and sizing they need.
Open Road Catering team getting ready to serve lunch in Reusables.
Production: The production office was happy with the turn-key service that Reusables provided for the set. After the initial introductions between the Reusables and key teams on set, the production office was hands-off. With the data tracking and reporting by Reusables, the production was able to easily quantify the benefits from the service and include the metrics in the sustainability report. The production felt that
Reusables is a gateway to further sustainability action in the film industry.
Locations: The locations team as well as PAs noticed that they spent much less time managing the recycling and compost bins due to most of the trash being diverted. The team has expressed that their new responsibility of aggregating returned reusables was rewarding and made them feel like they are part of meaningful change.
Crew: Having food served in reusable packaging made the crew reconsider how they think about waste. The crew enjoyed eating out of high-quality containers that kept their food warm for longer times.
Impact
Throughout the 4-month production, Death and Other Details created the following positive impact on the environment.
Reuse Makes Financial & Environmental Sense
With Reusables, the production was able to decrease the number of bin flips by more than 21%. In fact, they were able to avoid bin flips for weeks at times. This on-top of saved time cleaning up garbage and recycling has proven Reusables to be a triple bottom line success for film and TV productions.
Through diligent tracking and reporting, Reusables is able to provide your Sustainability Department with the relevant metrics needed for your production to satisfy any studio environmental requirements, calculate impact and cost savings, and verify any third-party certifications.
Interested in having Reusables at your next show?
Get in touch with us at: info@reusables.com!