Sustainability Excerpts & Highlights From IATSE Bulletin Third Quarter 2025

14 Oct 2025
Green Committee
Page 27: Convention Resolutions – “Resolution No. 13” aka The Sustainability Resolution

Final language read, “THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the IATSE encourage every Local Union to do their part, with industry partners on behalf of the health and safety of our crews, by endorsing and encouraging carbon-neutral productions and working to establish best practices that reduce waste on every set, stage, and shop.”

Convention Action: The Delegates adopted this Resolution and the International encourages all IATSE Local Unions to work with industry partners to reduce the impact of Film and television productions on the environment.

 

Page 46: “70th Quadrennial Convention: Report of the President”

Matt Loeb writes, “There is no doubt that there is a correlation between global warming and the increasing frequency of catastrophic natural disasters. It is, after all, science! Which brings us to the need for preparation and preparedness. The Disaster Response Committee is positioned to coordinate logistics and resources to help our members in these unforeseen situations. Working together with affected area locals, the Walsh DiTolla Spivak Foundation and local authorities the Committee works to quickly provide help to members in need.”

Loeb continues, “We must also do our best to be part of the solution and our Green Committee has implemented initiatives to that end. Advice on sustainability efforts, at home and on the job, are being shared. Various local unions have established their own committees and are becoming engaged in a cause that bears heavily upon all of us. We must have both personal and collective consciousness and make meaningful efforts to address the environmental crisis. The Committee will continue its efforts in this regard.”

 

Page 55-56: “IATSE Green Committee” Update as part of the Report of the President

“The Green Committee has continued its work during the last four years to ensure that the IATSE is a part of the conversation on environmental sustainability and its impact on the entertainment industry. We have witnessed massive devastation to our planet as a result of natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, excessive heat, and drought. Each of these environmental events has had a negative impact on workers within the Alliance and their quality of life. As an organization we cannot dismiss climate change. Its impact on the environment will have a lasting impact on our industries.

The Green Committee and local unions have worked together to educate and offer solutions for issues that have a helpful impact in this area, such as food waste, water conservation, clean vehicle fuel and reforestation.

The IATSE has partnered with industry organizations such as the Broadway Green Alliance, the Producers Guild of America Green Committee, the SAG-AFTRA Green Council, the Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action, Green Spark Group, Reel Green and the Sustainable Production Forum to promote their organizations’ activities and inspire and educate members and employers to do their part in regard to sustainability. These organizations all seek to offer solutions, education, and resources for eco-friendly practices in motion picture and television and live production, while also promoting quality standards of living. I encourage everyone to combat climate change daily by living and working sustainability, preserving our natural resources, and incorporating health and safety protocols.

The Green Committee webpage on the IATSE website was created to provide an evolving resource for members to utilize in both the U.S. and Canada. It contains information on local unions that have created their own committees. It also identifies green vendors that provide education and resources for sustainable practices across the Alliance’s crafts.

In coordination with the Education Department, each year the Green Committee has hosted a virtual event celebrating Earth Day. These events focused on providing real examples of how Locals and members can implement sustainable practices. The Education Department has made these virtual events available year-round, and they remain informative presentations on the importance of the sustainability movement in the entertainment industry.

Recently, Committee members attended the Climate Reality Project’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in New York City. This training focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the climate crisis, how we can solve it, and the relationships between people and the planet.

The Green Committee has spoken on behalf of the IA at the UNI General Assembly in support of Resolution 6 which was to, “take action for a sustainable and just transformation of our industry.” On behalf of multiple stakeholders across the world—who are concerned about climate change and its impact on health, safety, and social, and economic issues—the IA was honored to speak and see the resolution pass with full support. The resolution encourages a participatory approach that emphasizes collaboration. Together, throughout our industries we can promote research, creativity, innovation and take scientifically proven action. We can do so while taking an equitable and holistic view of our actions and their impact on people and the planet.

The Green Committee was also involved with the grant-awarding committee of the Broadway Green Alliance to fund green initiatives in the New York City area. Over twenty projects were funded, including education programs on sustainability, the purchase of reusable resources for set building and model making, funding designers for digital media and other creative professionals as well and sustainable needs in the entertainment industry.

Local unions have conducted significant work on sustainability efforts for the entertainment industry. Multiple Locals are now planting trees to honor members who have experienced life changing events. E-waste and textile recycling drives have become immensely popular across the Alliance. In the Los Angeles area, local unions have made sustainability part of the many successful events they hold each year. Mobile tools, like heat stress applications have become an innovative way to battle the issue of working in extreme temperatures. Locals across the continent have held beach clean ups, river walks and other similar events to promote sustainability. Each year multiple Locals take part in panel discussions and education seminars on sustainable practices and clean energy.

All of these actions demonstrate a commitment by the Alliance and the members to underscore the importance of a cleaner, more sustainable future. Our strength, within the members working in our industries, lies in the ability to lead by example and set standards to preserve the course of entertainment for future generations. We must continue to make climate citizenship a priority and commit to long-lasting change.”