Membership-based organisation Sustainable Screens Australia (SSA) has unveiled its inaugural board, with The Cook Up host Adam Liaw named as co-chair alongside Dreamchaser Entertainment COO Sara Horn.
First announced in 2022, SSA aims to provide education, tools, and resources to measure and reduce the local screen industry’s environmental impact.
The initiative officially launched at last year’s Sydney Film Festival, having garnered early support from broadcast platforms, screen agencies, and production companies, while also signing a licensing and partnership deal with the industry-lead albert consortium in the UK.
At the time the organisation was helmed by a seven-woman management committee comprising Horn, Kaplan, Jennifer McAuliffe, Kate Pappas (treasurer), Tamasin Simpkin, Alex Wasiel (secretary), and Tanzy Owen.
Horn and Liaw will now lead a newly ratified board featuring AFTRS chief financial officer Joanne Herron, Matchbox Pictures co-founder Helen Panckhurst, Docklands Studios Melbourne CEO Antony Tulloch, Netflix environmental, health, and safety leader Mark Brogan, lawyer and finance broadcaster Katrina Bullock, ESG strategist Phil Brown and producer Anna Kaplan.
The announcement comes after The Cook Up became the first production to have SSA assess its carbon footprint using BAFTA albert’s carbon calculator.
Liaw paid tribute to the SSA’s interim board for forging a strong foundation to build off.
“We’re at a really exciting inflection point because people are now beginning to understand, through the great work of SSA, that sustainability is not asking for a moonshot,” he said.
“What we’re actually asking is for people to be more efficient by creating productions that are sustainable, affordable, and high quality. SSA is here to provide solutions.”
SSA executive director Maree Cochrane said the board’s appointment came at a “critical juncture” for the Australian screen industry.
“Research shows that producing just one hour of screen content generates 16.6 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to seven return trips from Cairns to Perth in an average petrol-powered car,” she said.
“This is the current cost of our stories. But it doesn’t have to be our future.
“The inaugural Board would bring fresh energy, and an exceptional breadth and depth of expertise to the table. We’ll continue to collaborate with our industry partners, dedicated members, and network of sustainability partners to ramp up our vision of putting the planet in the picture.”
Find out more information about SSA here.