Gravity Media has set out its sustainability priorities, after recently sharing some ESG (environmental, social, governance) milestones in the company’s first ‘Our People and Our Environment’ report.
The report details Gravity’s activities in moving towards more environmentally friendly ways of working, including the commissioning of its first fully electric 19T tender vehicle, becoming the first OB supplier in the BAFTA albert sustainable supplier directory, publishing its ISO14064-audited carbon footprint and a top score in the DPP Committed to Sustainability assessment.
Group ESG Director Rohan Mitchell said he was particularly proud of the transparency in the report. He said: “Gravity Media wanted to be among the first in our sector to openly share both our environmental and social performance. This isn’t just about showcasing our achievements, it’s about demonstrating how we’ve reconfigured our approach to sustainability and inviting collaboration with our industry peers. We believe transparency is the foundation for collective progress.”
“Investing in remote production capabilities isn’t just operationally smart, it’s essential to achieving our emissions reduction targets”
The need to be open about sharing carbon data and honest about the challenges faced by the industry are also the main messages Mitchell hopes the industry will take from the report.
“Real progress happens when we’re willing to have frank conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. We hope this encourages others in the industry to adopt a similar approach as we’ll only tackle these challenges together,” he said.
Gravity Media operates more than 100 outside broadcast trucks, flypacks, specialist camera and RF, along with over 30 studios and facilities worldwide. As a global business, Mitchell explained that Gravity has adopted a data-driven approach to its decarbonisation efforts, “identifying quick wins that deliver immediate impact while focusing resources on our most emissions-intensive areas.”
“We’re also pragmatic about opportunities, for example, the availability of HVO fuel in the UK has enabled us to transition to lower-carbon fuel more readily than in other markets. For our Scope 2 decarbonisation, our main levers are energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. These factors determine where we can make the most effective interventions.”
Middle East Jamie Hindhaugh with group ESG director Rohan Mitchell pictured in front of Gravity’s fully electric 19T tender vehicle
Gravity’s emissions inventory has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the widely-used GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and ISO 14064-1:2018 specification.
The report sets out how Scope 3 emissions –indirect emissions from across the company’s value chain, including purchased equipment and services, travel and commuting – make up the vast majority of Gravity’s carbon footprint, at 53,968 tCO₂e. This compares to 4,840 tCO₂e for scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from Gravity controlled assets) and 4,510 tCO₂e for scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat or cooling).
Mitchell said that Scope 3 is Gravity’s biggest challenge, but says the company is tackling it on multiple fronts. “For business travel, we’ve developed a crew database to source local talent where possible and we’re working with our travel management agency to prioritise eco-certified hotels. The key is getting better activity data.
Read more Gravity Media launches fully electric tender truck
“Supply chain engagement is critical, we’re collaborating with clients and freight providers to identify lower-carbon options wherever possible. The global expansion of our remote production facilities is a game-changer here, offering significant reductions in both freight and crew travel emissions.”
And when it comes to the vendors and suppliers that Gravity works with, Mitchell returned to the topic of data. “What we’d really like from manufacturers is clearer data: transparent product emissions information and comprehensive life cycle assessments are still some way off.”
People & the planet
In 2024, Gravity undertook a Double Materiality Assessment, a process which considers sustainability from two angles: firstly, how a company’s activities affect people and the planet. And secondly, how things like climate change and resource scarcity might impact the company. It can then be used to identify the impact a business is making, and areas of risk for example to a supply chain.
Mitchell described the DMA as “instrumental” in shaping Gravity’s five strategic ESG pillars, which are Climate, People, Circularity, Supply Chain, and Digital Impact/Cyber Security.
He said: “We’ve established an ESG Committee with executive leadership representation across multiple functions, ensuring sustainability considerations are embedded in our decision-making processes.
Gravity Media now operates nine remote production centres around the world, supporting both on-premise and distributed remote production, and remote production is described by the company as a “central objective in our sustainability strategy.”
“Remote production stands out as one of our primary levers in our global decarbonisation strategy,” added Mitchell. “The DMA validated what we suspected: that investing in remote production capabilities isn’t just operationally smart, it’s essential to achieving our emissions reduction targets.”
View the report here
