Here’s How Much Carbon You Saved Planet Earth in 2023
From reducing plastic usage to embracing renewable energy sources, sustainability has become a key consideration in our lives. Yet there are still overlooked areas where businesses can stand to make a significant environmental impact. One area that is most often passed over? Hiring locally.
Every decision we make as individuals and businesses carries weight. From reducing plastic usage to embracing renewable energy sources, sustainability has become a key consideration in nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet there are still overlooked areas where businesses can stand to make a significant environmental impact. One area that is most often passed over? Hiring locally.
The benefits of hiring locally for your creative projects or productions are numerous, which include authenticity, local knowledge and helping global economies. Now you can add another benefit to the list: saving the planet! At Glimmer, we were curious just how much carbon our clients kept out of the atmosphere by hiring locally on our platform in 2023. To that end, for the first time, we produced a global carbon-saving report that attempts to quantify our impact on the planet.
Carbon Emissions and Traditional Work Models
Traditional work models often involve significant commuting for employees and creative talent alike. Whether it's driving to a set or flying to international destinations, these activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transportation accounts for one of the largest shares in greenhouse gas emissions globally, clocking in at 15%. This means that every trip to set or every flight chartered for a crew member significantly increases the carbon footprint of the production industry.
But just how much carbon is being generated by global production? We used our data to determine how many miles companies on Glimmer would have traveled had they not hired locally through our platform. To reach our mileage calculation, we took the company headquarters location and compared it to the location where their project or production took place. For example, a client located in Washington D.C. shot a project in Bangkok, Thailand, approx. 8,804 miles away. By opting to hire local talent, they avoided a trip that would have generated 1.31 tons of carbon dioxide. Our methodology included both international and domestic hires, encouraging companies to minimize their carbon footprint wherever possible.
We took a look at 14,696 projects completed on Glimmer by 282 companies across 28 services to make our calculation. Our clients hired for the following roles: Non-Fiction Film Director, Full Service Live Production, HD Live Operator, Editorial Photographer/Photojournalist, Event Photographer, Landscape Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Product Photographer, Field Producer, Line Producer (On-Location), Fixer, Gaffer, Grip, Production Assistant, Production Company, Hair + Makeup, Wardrobe, On-Air Reporter/Host, On-Camera Talent, Commercial DP, Corporate Videographer, Doc DP, Drone Operator, Immersive/Spatial Video Capture, Mobile Journalist/Livestreamer, and News Shooter/Video Journalist.
In total, the mileage between these projects came out to be 20,878,943 miles that would have been traveled had the company not hired locally. These projects involved creators and production companies all around the world, with projects happening in 144 unique countries and 988 unique cities. That’s 3,106.44 tons of carbon dioxide, approximately $65,235.25 in carbon offsets according to Conservation International’s Carbon Emissions Calculator. To put that into perspective, that’s the same as 317,105 gallons of gasoline or yearly emissions from 671 gas-powered cars according to the EPA.
As you can see, carbon emissions can pile on quickly. Keep in mind that this scratches the surface of the issue, as we’re only taking into account transportation emissions - we didn’t add things like hotel stays or car travel, which of course only adds to one’s carbon footprint. Hiring creative talent locally helps lower these by minimizing transportation-related emissions associated with commuting and travel.
A Greener and More Authentic Future
In today's interconnected world, businesses have a responsibility to consider the environmental impact of their operations. By hiring freelance creatives locally, companies can significantly reduce their carbon emissions while accessing top talent from around the globe. This shift not only benefits the environment but also offers flexibility and diversity to any project. As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of creative work, embracing local creatives emerges not only as a practical solution but also as a green one, destined to drive us all toward a more sustainable future.