Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Capturing the natural world around us can be one of the most rewarding aspects of film and photography. At Gripvan we believe it’s important that we take responsibility for protecting that environment too. No matter the role on set; producer, photographer, stylist or assistant, there are changes we can make to reduce the environmental impact of our shoots.
On an everyday level, there are various steps that can be taken to reduce our impact. We can all make sure to recycle any materials associated with our kit, such as packaging, batteries, cameras themselves, and even unwanted photos.
Taking Responsibility
Here at Gripvan, we’re taking action to be as eco-friendly as possible. At our warehouse as well as on our fleet of delivery and location shoot vehicles, we are making changes. As new technology becomes available we hope to continue reducing our environmental impact.
Starting with the basics, our goal is to recycle everything possible. Our friends over at First Mile take care of this for us. Their motto, ‘recycle everything’ is something we can firmly get behind. They deal with all of our warehouse recycling, as well as recyclable waste returned from shoots. We’re even able to provide mixed recycling bags for your use when shooting on location.
We offer a variety of services, consumables and rental items for your unit base, not least the ever essential coffee machine. We use a range of compact Nespresso machines which take single serve portions in a plethora of blends, roasts and flavours, with decaf as an option for those who need a little less caffeine. Keeping things single-serve helps reduce food wastage on set, and the capsules themselves are fully recyclable. The capsules have dedicated recycling bags which are provided with every hire. Once full these are sent back to the manufacturer for recycling.
Take a look at these videos from Nespresso to see how your used capsule can be repurposed, even becoming part of a new coffee machine.
Reusable, Recyclable, Sustainable
Once we’re finished with equipment we no longer use, we make sure to donate it to those who can get use out of it. Colleges, Universities, and our superstar photo assistants working on shoots all benefit. They reuse materials such as gel off cuts, gaffer tape, paper backgrounds and poly boards.
Part of our move towards reusability is to start supplying Ram Board floor protection wherever possible. This stuff is solid. It’s easy to roll out, and has myriad features that make it so robust. It’s perfect for shooting in any location. What’s more, it’s made from 100% recycled material and is FSC certified. They’re as committed to the environment as we are. Of course, whenever we still use corex, it’s sent to First Mile for processing and recycling where possible.
As for the equipment Gripvan provides, we’re making steps towards LED lighting and other low power consumption lighting options. We currently stock LitePanels Astra 1x1 Bi-Colour LED Panels, Arri's Sky Panel, and a range of LED practical lighting. As for HMIs, we provide the Arri M18 and M40, both of which have lower power consumption than the equivalent standard HMI fresnel without compromising on light output.
Low Emissions, High Ambitions
Gripvan by the very nature of our business employ the use of several vans. Whilst all our current vans meet or exceed Euro 5 standards, as we upgrade the fleet, we’re choosing those that have the most up to date green options. Stop/Start technology on our newest vans and low emissions mean we’re cleaner than ever before, and the trend will only continue. We use cycle couriers and public transport where possible for smaller deliveries, and plan our delivery routes to combine drop offs to reduce the amount of vehicles on the street.
At Gripvan we’re making changes to be greener, smarter. and more eco-friendly. We've made good progress so far but we’ll continue improving, and make sure our impact on the environment is as minimal as possible, for us, for our customers and for the people who live and work in the city we call home.