Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)

As Smith gained experience, the industry landscape shifted. Initial resistance to sustainable practices, often driven by concerns over upfront costs, such as the transition to hybrid transport, gave way as studios recognized the value of long-term budgetary savings and operational efficiency. 

Sustainability became an embedded step in the production process, with considerations beginning before production offices even opened. 

• Data-Driven Accountability: The accounts department utilized a tagging system to catalogue items and processes with a carbon footprint, including logistics, electricity, and accommodation. This data culminated in a CO2 report comparable to albert’s carbon calculator. 

• Supply Chain Diligence: Studios conducted extensive due diligence with waste vendors, requiring detailed reporting on waste processing—such as whether timber was chipped or incinerated. This established a vetted, “go-to” supplier list that reduced paperwork, insurance risk, and bureaucratic friction for future productions. 

The production of Jurassic World: Dominion demonstrated how these high-level strategies functioned on a tentpole film: 

• Energy Management: The production utilized Pinewood Studios, which operated on renewable energy. Generators on-set were fuelled by renewable diesel, a fuel derived from renewable feedstocks that reduced lifecycle carbon emissions by approximately 70% compared to standard diesel. 

• Circular Economy: The production prioritized material reuse. The silicon and fibreglass moulds used for animatronic dinosaurs were recycled via Green Clover, while Extreme Rigging utilised a process to reduce used stunt wire to its individual fibres to manufacture new wire. 

• Catering: The team implemented a strategic shift in catering, including the removal of beef from the menu to lower the carbon impact of the production’s food consumption. 

• Set Construction: While FSC timber was standard, the complexity of set construction, specifically the bonding of timber with foams and paints, presented recycling challenges. The production focused on working with studio asset coordinators to transfer materials to future productions and charities, though Smith noted that balancing IP protection with sustainability remained an ongoing industry challenge. 

Jurassic World Dominion served as a model for resuming production following the initial UK national lockdown. While the pandemic introduced complex waste management challenges, particularly regarding PPE and the temporary suspension of reusable containers, it also accelerated positive, long term changes.

• Digital Transformation: The production embraced the digital office. The shift away from physical callsheets and scripts to platforms like Crew Start and Docusign became permanent.

• Efficiency: Food waste decreased significantly as individual meals replaced traditional buffet style catering, building upon existing initiatives to reduce the production’s overall environmental footprint.

Future Perspectives

Looking back at the production, Smith emphasized that the path toward a more sustainable industry required moving away from an isolated, production by production mindset.

“The issue needed to be approached through an environmental management lens rather than a film industry lens. We needed to embrace concepts like the circular economy within our supply chains and think as a whole industry. While we had successes in material reuse, the ultimate evolution had to come from within.” 

The sustainability work done on Jurassic World Dominion highlighted the effectiveness of integrating sustainability into the foundational planning of a major production. You can find more information on Smith’s services at the Neptune Environmental Solutions website.