Our Sustainability Commitments
Greening Our Story
Canadians view the environment as one of the most important issues facing our world. As Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC has a duty to be part of the solution and do everything we can to keep our environmental impact to a minimum.
In January 2022, CBC took a leading role in advancing sustainable practices within the Canadian media industry by introducing albert, a carbon footprint requirement for all original Canadian English-language productions. Albert is a tool specifically built for measuring emissions from the film and television industry.
CBC was the first media company in Canada to use albert, using the calculator on in-house productions including Gary’s Magic Fort, Family Feud Canada, Dragon’s Den & Marketplace, and continues to accelerate the pace at which in-house productions need to deliver carbon footprints.
To further accelerate climate action both in front of and behind the camera, the CBC also requires programs that are in the development stage to complete a Sustainability Checklist. These checklists are tailored for scripted, unscripted, and documentary projects and encourage content creators to incorporate environmentally-conscious thinking as early as possible. They highlight opportunities for climate storytelling and sustainable production practices, and invite content creators to suggest their own ideas.
Additionally, the CBC is requiring a Carbon Reduction Plan, for any returning series or returning special events/one-offs. The plan builds on the environmentally-conscious thinking developed through the checklists, and will help productions better understand the steps they can take to reduce their environmental impact.
All of CBC's requirements build on the national public broadcaster’s five-year environmental sustainability strategy, Greening Our Story, which was released in June 2021.
For more information on why green production is important, CBC’s sustainability deliverables, and resources to help support Canadian independent producers with their transition to more sustainable production, please visit the Business & Rights Green Production information page.