ENVIRONMENT
For Film Resort, environmental conservation, biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainable production and consumption, and measures to combat climate change are of great importance.
The company collaborates with partners who share a commitment to similar environmentally friendly, “green” principles.
EQUALITY
We support the creation of a fair, diverse, and safe working environment.
Film Resort contributes to the flourishing development of the sector and to making its work culture more ethical and diverse, ensuring that film production in Estonia is sustainable and inclusive of everyone in the industry.
We are making the world more caring,
one visual at a time.
Film Resort OÜ supports the organization NGO Loomus. NGO Loomus is an animal advocacy organization that actively promotes a sustainable and caring attitude towards animals, both in Estonia and elsewhere in the world.
The Journey
BEGINNING
Film Resort began its environmentally conscious journey in 2015, producing social media campaign videos for non-profit organizations.
In 2016, the company completed post-production and color grading for the short anthropological documentary “The Ghost” (directed by Worapoj In-lao). The film aims to raise awareness about agricultural practices in Thailand and the resulting deforestation.
In 2016 and 2017, Film Resort produced two highly popular video campaigns for the NGO Loomus—in collaboration with Saara Pius and Maksim Galanin—which raised awareness about the unethical use of wild animals in circuses.
In 2017, the use of wild animals in circuses was banned in Estonia.
Between 2015 and 2021, around ten videos about fur farms were produced for Loomus to raise awareness regarding the unethical nature of these farms and their harmful environmental impact. Additionally, in 2017, a video campaign was created in collaboration with Loomus, Marten Kuningas, and Mirtel Pohla, also aimed at raising awareness about fur farms.
In 2021, fur farming was banned in Estonia, with a five-year transition period.
WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW
In 2023, Film Resort produced the short film "Night of Lavender Horrors," which explores Estonian queer nightlife in the 1920s and 1930s. The production and filming process were carried out in accordance with "Ekosetti"—a set of green guidelines for the Finnish film industry.
During production, we focused on minimizing the carbon footprint of transport and catering, ensuring a sustainable approach. We engaged talent and professionals from diverse social groups, fostering a safe and inclusive working environment.
We collaborated with partners who shared these same core values.
Global Sustainable Development Goals
For Film Resort, the following global sustainable development goals are important, such as culture, the reduction of inequality, climate action, biodiversity, and terrestrial ecosystems.Intro text underneath the headline
Film Resort ESG (Environmental
Social Governance) Strategy
In the spring of 2024, Film Resort developed its ESG strategy, which helps lay the groundwork for sustainable business and the film industry in Estonia. The objectives of the Film Resort ESG strategy are:
I ENVIRONMENT AND MEASURES TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
1. Transition to sustainable catering for events and film productions by 2025, requiring that all food be prepared using 100% seasonal, plant-based, and locally sourced ingredients. Furthermore, by 2035, 80% of the catering provided for film productions must be organic, and the ingredients must carry an EU organic certification label. 2. Make the footprint of Film Resort’s services and daily business operations 100% carbon-neutral by 2050.
3. Minimize the use of thermal energy derived from non-renewable sources and transition to 100% renewable energy solutions by 2040.
4. Minimize thermal energy emissions from offices and workspaces, and relocate to a net-zero energy building by 2035.
5. Adopt “green office” principles by 2035.
6. Increase the use of sustainable transport, transitioning to 90% carbon-neutral transport for daily business operations by 2035, and to 100% carbon-neutral transport by 2045.
7. Minimize the use of newly extracted natural resources and the generation of new electronic waste; transition to 50% circular-economy electronics by 2035, and to 95% circular-economy electronics by 2045.
II SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
8. Increase the satisfaction levels of Film Resort employees, project subcontractors, and project partners by 20 percentage points by 2035.
9. Donate 5% of Film Resort’s annual revenue—or perform an equivalent value of *pro bono* work—to Estonian human rights, environmental, or animal rights organizations; alternatively, publicly disseminate an equivalent volume of environmental or… …audiovisual works that raise social awareness, on an annual basis, by 2025.
III ETHICAL MANAGEMENT
10. Standardize the daily and hourly rates for Film Resort employees, project subcontractors, and project partners by 2030.
11. Raise the average salary at Film Resort to above the Estonian national average by 2030.
12. Publish the list of Film Resort’s partners by 2025.
13. Enhance Film Resort’s cybersecurity, mitigate risks associated with cybercrime, and transition to modern cybersecurity tools by 2025—updating these annually and replacing them with more secure alternatives as necessary.
14. Minimize risks stemming from natural disasters (such as potential flood risks) in the immediate vicinity of the Film Resort office by 2030, and implement measures to mitigate these risks.
15. Minimize Film Resort’s digital carbon footprint and transition to the use of sustainably managed servers by 2035: reduce Film Resort’s digital carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and by 90% by 2040.
MORE COMPLEX CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
CYBERSECURITY
There are also several challenges regarding the ESG strategy where significant room for improvement remains. Observations from other companies show that cybersecurity-related risks are visibly increasing year by year. Currently, Film Resort has not implemented dedicated cybersecurity systems to protect company data against potential attacks.
Therefore, by 2025, a key cybersecurity system must be adopted to ensure secure login access across all online environments. This system prevents malware from accessing passwords, user accounts, and data. The process of implementing this system is currently underway.
EQUAL PAY MEASURES
There is also room for development regarding the implementation of equal pay measures—an area in which Film Resort is actively engaged. The company plans to raise its average salary above the Estonian national average by 2030.
MITIGATING CLIMATE DISASTER RISKS
As the Film Resort office is located in a high-risk flood zone in the immediate vicinity of the Jõelähtme River in Harju County, the company plans to implement measures to mitigate climate disaster risks. These steps are intended to minimize potential damage and risks to the company, its employees, and project partners operating in the area. The plan is to relocate to a low-risk area by 2030.
DIGITAL CARBON FOOTPRINT
As data volumes grow, so does the number of servers in use each year—which, in turn, leads to higher energy consumption and a larger carbon footprint. While we are currently working to optimize our data transmission and the volume of data stored on servers, industry standards for film and video production—along with the associated data volumes—continue to rise every year. Consequently, we plan to partner with server providers whose energy usage is more sustainable than that of our current providers.
Our goal is to minimize Film Resort’s digital carbon footprint and transition to sustainably managed servers by 2035. Specifically, we aim to reduce Film Resort’s digital carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and by 90% by 2040.
ELECTRONIC WASTE GENERATION AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES
Under current film and video industry standards, the equipment and components used for editing, VFX, and color grading are replaced every five years. Increasingly demanding software, growing data volumes, and the need for faster data transmission speeds necessitate the adoption of new technologies, which replace existing hardware. This means, for instance, that monitors, peripherals, and computers are frequently replaced—either entirely or by swapping out components such as memory, the GPU, CPU, motherboard, or storage drives. Often, an entirely new setup is purchased because cutting-edge technologies are frequently incompatible with older versions. Similarly, new peripherals are often incompatible with older hardware.
Unfortunately, the commercial technology currently in use is not designed for a circular economy. It cannot be easily disassembled, repaired, upgraded, or processed for material recovery and subsequent recycling. At present, upgrading and repairing are so costly that it is twice as economically viable to purchase new equipment rather than attempt repairs.
Film Resort has taken steps to give a second life to second-hand electronics; however, experience has shown that second-hand electronics older than seven years become obsolete very quickly. They struggle to keep pace with large data volumes, high-speed requirements, and modern software. Consequently, the goal is to establish partnerships with companies specializing in circular electronics—such as Foxway—to assist in upgrading existing equipment or, if necessary, replacing the entire hardware inventory with new, circular-economy-aligned electronics. Film Resort aims to minimize the use of newly extracted natural resources and the generation of new electronic waste, and to transition to the use of 50% circular electronics by 2035 and 95% circular electronics by 2045.
What activities does Film Resort implement
to support the Sustainable Development Goals?
ESTONIAN CULTURE
“18.1 A significant part of Estonian culture has ‘migrated to the virtual environment’ and is housed in electronic archives […], thereby becoming internationally accessible and translatable into other languages—making it available and understandable both locally and to interested audiences worldwide.” [Source: Global Sustainable Development Goals]
Film Resort has digitized its data collection and is archiving its audiovisual collection electronically. The company’s documentation is digital, and all of Film Resort’s works are translated into English, making them accessible internationally.
“The adaptability of culture—that is, its mechanisms for reproduction and capacity for renewal—is at a level that enables the transmission and continuous enrichment of the cultural heritage for new generations of culture-bearers. This involves achieving a dynamic balance and sustainability for Estonian culture in its relationship with global culture, as well as overcoming existential fears.” [Source: Global Sustainable Development Goals].
Film Resort produces films in collaboration with the younger generation, telling stories that resonate specifically with young people. Information regarding the availability of these creative works reaches the younger generation through the appropriate channels.
REDUCING INEQUALITY
Target 10.2 states the following: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.” [Source: Global Sustainable Development Goals]
Film Resort supports the creation of a fair, diverse, and safe working environment. Furthermore, Film Resort recruits employees from all backgrounds, fostering a highly diverse workplace.
Film Resort also supports women and individuals who face challenges in finding employment within the film industry by offering roles in technical fields where women are traditionally underrepresented.
CLIMATE ACTION
Target 13.3 includes: “Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.” [Source: Global Sustainable Development Goals]
In our film productions, we optimize transport costs for both filming and daily operations, and make our use of transport more sustainable.
During production periods, we prioritize ride-sharing and the use of public transport (including chartered services for larger shoots), while relying on electric modes of transport—such as electric trains and e-bikes—for our day-to-day work.
Furthermore, when arranging catering for film shoots, we prioritize local and plant-based options—ensuring that our consumption supports the local food industry and that food production carries the smallest possible carbon footprint.
BIODIVERSITY AND TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
Goal 15.2 states: “By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.” [Source: Global Sustainable Development Goals]
When organizing film shoots, Film Resort ensures that all catering provided is plant-based. Prioritizing plant-based food over animal-based products supports the sustainability of forest areas in equatorial regions—when there is no demand for animal feed, less land is cleared or burned for its production.
Using plant-based ingredients reduces the demand for beef and dairy products, which have the largest carbon footprints and are the primary source of atmospheric methane—a gas with an impact 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
Film Resort has also minimized paper usage in its office, which helps reduce the demand for paper production at the expense of Estonia’s forests.
