What is an albert Certified Production? Film and TV certification explained
What does the logo mean?
If you’ve just finished watching a Netflix documentary like My Octopus Teacher or a BBC drama like Sherwood, you may have noticed a little 'albert Certified Production' logo in the bottom left of the frame.
Accompanied by a footprint, the logo usually features after the closing credits, alongside the names of relevant production companies and distributors.
But what exactly does it mean to be 'albert Certified', and why do productions sign up to the programme?
Read on for everything you need to know about the organisation helping to promote sustainability in the screen industry.
What is an albert Certified Production?
albert is "the leading screen industry organisation for environmental sustainability", according to its website.
Founded in 2011, it aims to "support the film and TV industry to reduce the environmental impacts of production and to create content that supports a vision for a sustainable future", its 'About' section continues.
The BAFTA-led organisation achieves this through a variety of methods, including online tools, training, events, practical guidance and thought leadership.
All of this is done with the aim of ensuring every production on TV and in cinemas is having the least negative impact on the environment as possible.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, albert explained: "To achieve albert certification and therefore the logo for their end board, each production must submit a Carbon Footprint (which measures their environmental impact) and a Carbon Action Plan (which evidences how each production will take steps to minimise their environmental impacts).
"Productions then submit evidence of how they have reduced their impacts which is assessed by our team members and certification is awarded to qualifying productions.
"The star system is an internal reference for productions and isn't reflected on the endboard logo. The stars are determined by the number of evidenced actions taken by a production to reduce their impact."
albert has worked with clients ranging from TV institutions such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 through to streamers like Netflix and industry bodies such as the BFI.
In 2023 alone, 3,003 productions completed carbon footprints and 2,451 achieved certification, while 3,967 members of the screen industry also attended albert training.
The organisation has been behind projects such as the Creative Offsets scheme, which is designed to enable funders to offset their "unavoidable emissions", and more recently the Climate Action Blueprint, a strategy designed to "accelerate collective climate action" across four key areas: on-screen actions; culture and capability; standards, measurement and reporting; and off-screen actions.
After the series had been a long-time champion of sustainability practices, becoming a case study in albert's 2023 Annual Review, the organisation teamed up with long-running soap Emmerdale to celebrate its 10,000th episode, helping to further aid the show's transition towards becoming a net-zero production.
Head of production on the series, Nader Mabadi, explained: "Whether it's behind the scenes or in the on-screen daily lives of our characters, we feel a responsibility to show and talk about these things."
Speaking of albert’s importance to the screen industry, Matt Scarff, managing director of BAFTA albert, said: "The appetite for environmental change within the industry is obvious and the strategy we have in place at albert is perfectly placed to help make the changes we need to protect the future of our planet."
Full information can be found on the albert website.
If you're looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
George White is a Sub-Editor for Radio Times. He was previously a reporter for the Derby Telegraph and was the editor of LeftLion magazine. As well as receiving an MA in Magazine Journalism, he completed a BA in Politics and International Relations.
