Sustainability Policy

Our commitment

TMAX creates films and digital content for museums, galleries, universities, cultural organisations, charities and brands. Our work includes documentary and behind-the-scenes films, educational content, social campaigns, interviews, podcasts and live streaming. We aim to deliver engaging, high-quality work while reducing its environmental impact and treating people responsibly.

We will embed sustainability in how we develop ideas, plan shoots, run our London studio, commission suppliers, edit and deliver content. Our approach will be proportionate to our size and the scale of each production, with clear responsibilities and practical improvements that we can evidence.

Scope and principles

This policy applies to our employees and to freelancers, subcontractors and suppliers working on TMAX projects, insofar as their work falls within our control or influence. It covers our studio, remote working and filming in the UK and overseas. We will communicate relevant expectations when commissioning work.

We will prevent avoidable impacts first, then reduce resource use, reuse and repair materials and equipment, and recycle what remains. We will consider environmental, social and financial sustainability together, without compromising safety, safeguarding, accessibility or editorial integrity. We will meet applicable legal and contractual requirements and agree any additional client sustainability requirements at the outset.

Responsibility and accountability

Max Budgett is responsible for implementing this policy, setting priorities, allocating proportionate resources and reviewing progress. The producer or project lead is responsible for putting relevant measures into the production plan, briefing the team and recording material decisions. Everyone working with TMAX is expected to follow the agreed arrangements and raise concerns or opportunities for improvement.

Planning sustainability into each project

At briefing and budgeting stage, we will consider travel, crew size, locations, power, equipment, catering, materials, accessibility and delivery requirements. We will combine interviews or filming days where practical, use remote meetings and recce options where appropriate, and discuss lower-impact approaches with clients early enough to influence the schedule and budget.

Where a preferred option is impractical, the project lead will record significant trade-offs and agree an alternative. Client requirements for carbon reporting, production certification or additional evidence will be scoped and resourced before work begins.

Environmental commitments

Travel and transport

Use remote meetings where they meet the brief. For necessary journeys, favour walking, cycling, public transport and rail where practical, taking account of equipment, safety, access needs and working hours.

Plan efficient routes, consolidate equipment deliveries and use local crew or suppliers where suitable. Use appropriately sized vehicles and electric options where practical; avoid unnecessary idling and journeys.

Consider rail before flying where feasible. Flights require approval by the policy owner after alternatives have been considered. Combine overseas filming requirements where possible and record the reason for necessary air travel.

Studio energy and production power

Switch off lights, monitors, chargers and equipment when not required, except where needed for secure storage, backups, maintenance or essential operations. Use sensible heating and cooling settings and avoid heating or cooling unused spaces.

Prefer efficient LED lighting and the smallest suitable power setup. Use safe mains or battery power where practical; where a generator is necessary, size it appropriately and minimise running time.

Review electricity consumption and tariffs where we control them. Engage with landlords about energy efficiency, renewable electricity options and metering, recording where shared premises limit the information or changes available.

Equipment and materials

Maintain, repair and extend the useful life of cameras, lighting, sound, computers and accessories. Assess repair, rental and suitable refurbished equipment before buying new; base replacements on operational need.

Borrow, hire or reuse sets, props, furniture and wardrobe where possible. Avoid unnecessary purchases and single-use branding; plan storage, return, donation or reuse before ordering materials.

Use rechargeable batteries where suitable. Send obsolete electronics, batteries and other specialist waste through appropriate authorised routes, and securely erase data before equipment is sold, donated or recycled.

Waste water and locations

Prevent waste through accurate ordering, reusable bottles and cups, refill facilities and minimal packaging. Provide clearly identified recycling and food-waste arrangements where available and suitable for the location.

Order catering to realistic numbers, offer appealing plant-based choices, accommodate dietary requirements and reduce surplus. Handle leftover food safely and agree disposal or redistribution arrangements with the caterer.

Avoid unnecessary water use and report leaks. Protect buildings, collections, habitats and public spaces; follow venue rules, minimise noise and disturbance, and leave locations clean. Plan safe handling of fuels, chemicals and other potential pollutants where relevant.

Responsible content and working practices

Post production and digital delivery

We will plan formats, versions and approval stages with clients to reduce avoidable re-edits, renders and transfers. We will use appropriate review files and delivery formats, and avoid unnecessary duplication of large media files without weakening resilience or quality.

Each project will have an agreed approach to retention, archiving and deletion. We will retain necessary backups and contractual records, review redundant cloud and local storage, and remove material only when authorised and consistent with client agreements, privacy and security needs. Digital delivery will be the default unless physical media is required.

When choosing hosting, storage, rendering or AI services, we will consider purpose, energy implications, security and credible supplier information. We will avoid unnecessary processing and unsupported claims that any particular digital workflow has no environmental impact.

People welfare and fair working

We will plan realistic schedules and budgets, safe working hours, breaks and travel arrangements. Sustainability measures must not shift unreasonable costs or risks onto freelancers, contributors or suppliers. We will agree clear scopes, fees and payment terms, pay within agreed terms and communicate changes promptly.

We will provide a respectful workplace and set clear expectations against discrimination, bullying and harassment. Recruitment and commissioning will focus on relevant skills and fair opportunity. We will consider reasonable adjustments and practical access needs when arranging locations, equipment and working patterns.

We will brief teams on relevant health, safety and safeguarding arrangements, particularly when filming children or people who may need additional support. Team members and contributors can raise concerns with the project lead or policy owner without retaliation; concerns will be handled sensitively and acted on appropriately.

Accessible and responsible storytelling

Our work often helps audiences engage with art, culture, education and specialist knowledge. We will encourage clear, accurate and inclusive storytelling, consider whose perspectives are represented and treat contributors with dignity. We will obtain appropriate permissions and make intended uses of contributions clear.

We will discuss accessibility at the brief stage, including captions, transcripts, legible graphics, audio description and alternative formats where relevant. Deliverables and responsibilities will be agreed with the client. We will check factual and environmental claims within our editorial remit and flag unsupported claims for review.

Suppliers and implementation

Suppliers and communities

We will consider environmental practices, fair working conditions, quality, durability and whole-life cost when selecting suppliers. For significant purchases or higher-risk services, we will seek proportionate evidence rather than relying on broad sustainability claims. We will raise concerns about exploitation or unsafe working and seek corrective action or alternative suppliers where necessary.

We will favour suitable local suppliers where this reduces impacts and supports the communities in which we work. We will respect neighbours and venue users, communicate likely disruption and seek opportunities for skills development, mentoring and collaboration when these can be properly supported.

First year actions

The following actions apply from approval of this policy. They establish a practical baseline and routine for improvement; they are not statements of performance already achieved.

Within three months: brief the core team, add relevant sustainability questions to project planning, share expectations with regular freelancers and suppliers, and establish a simple central action and evidence log.

Within six months: review studio energy arrangements, waste routes, equipment purchasing and maintenance, and media retention practices. Identify the largest controllable impacts and assign improvement actions to named owners.

Throughout the first year: record business travel by mode and distance where available, fuel or charging data where available, studio electricity where accessible, and significant equipment purchases and disposal routes. Note gaps and estimates explicitly.

At the first annual review: use the available records to establish a baseline, select measurable reduction objectives and agree dates and responsibilities for the following year. Review both total impacts and suitable measures per project or filming day so changes in workload remain visible.

Monitoring and annual review

Monitoring and evidence

The policy owner will review progress at least annually, using proportionate records such as travel bookings, utility bills, supplier information, equipment logs, disposal records and project reviews. We will also review team feedback, accessibility provision and any sustainability concerns or incidents. Where reliable data are unavailable, we will record the limitation and work to improve coverage.

If carbon estimates are produced, we will document the reporting period, organisational boundary, included activities, assumptions and calculation method, using appropriate current conversion factors. Estimates will distinguish direct fuel use, purchased energy and relevant supply-chain activities without suggesting that incomplete data represent a complete footprint.

Communication and continuous improvement

We will make this policy available to staff, freelancers, suppliers and clients as relevant. Significant productions will include a short review of what worked, what could improve and any commitments still outstanding. Actions will have an owner and an agreed completion date, with progress checked by the policy owner.

We will describe our performance accurately and distinguish commitments from achieved results. We will not claim carbon neutrality, net zero, certification or quantified savings without sufficient evidence. Any future use of offsets will be disclosed separately from emissions reductions and will not replace efforts to avoid and reduce emissions.

Project lead checklist

Before production: agree sustainability and accessibility requirements; review travel, power and materials; brief the team and suppliers; assign responsibility for collecting any required information.
During production: follow the agreed arrangements, manage waste and location impacts, and record material changes.
At delivery: confirm accessible outputs, archiving and retention arrangements; capture useful evidence and lessons for the next project.