Eco-Eastenders Honoured for Sustainable Set

The cast and crew of popular UK soap, Eastenders, have been honoured with the albert+ certificate for their positive approach to sustainability. Albert Square has been given a green make-over with several initiatives being implemented across the neighbourhood to help lower the programme’s carbon footprint. The show is now one of the greenest on TV.

Created in 2014 by the BBC, albert+ is an industry-wide scheme that encourages sustainable thinking and awards certification to TV programmes that adopt low carbon, environmentally friendly production techniques.

The albert+ badge was displayed on the end credits of the show for the first time yesterday.

In preparation for adopting a more eco-friendly approach on the BBC One continuing drama, two new studios were built, equipped with low energy lighting. The purpose-built studios will save enough energy to power nine houses for a year.

Solar-powered equipment was introduced on location, while cast and crew travel around Walford in low emission vehicles to drive down the progamme’s carbon footprint.

Since starting the campaign to be more eco-friendly in 2009, EastEnders has also cut its paper usage by 50 per cent across script and other weekly documents, and across all other paper usage it has been cut by 20 percent –   together this has saved 1000 reams of paper.

Scott Maslen, who plays Jack Branning in the show, says: “It’s really important that everyone does what they can for the environment and it’s great working in Walford knowing all the positive changes that are taking place.”

Other initiatives put in place by the soap include replacing all DVDs with an online viewing platform saving roughly 2500 DVDs per year, recycling sets and costumes as well as paint and pots from set design, and engaging suppliers to reduce impact of energy generation on location.

They have also enforced recycling across the board in all areas with clearly labelled bins, banned polystyrene cups, saving enough cups to cover the ground of Wembley Stadium eight times, and introduced mains water supplies to eradicate single use plastic water bottles in studios

Sue Mather, Line Producer at Eastenders, said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved our three stars for albert+ at EastEnders. We have made a range of permanent changes, such as installing low energy lights in two of our studios and beginning to use solar powered equipment on location, and we are already seeing the benefits. However, this is just the beginning and we have even more ambitious and exciting changes on the horizon for the coming year.”