In October 2021, CME joined the ranks of the media industry leaders working on reducing their carbon footprint. A sustainable supply chain, implementing operational improvements in the daily workflow and change in the culture of each employee, partner, supplier, and distributer, as well as reducing the amount of energy and waste being used are just part of the steps taken in five countries, which CME believes will encourage sustainable development.

bTV has already launched the introduction of green practices in some of its projects, becoming Bulgaria's first eco-friendly television. Green filming is based on the 5R’s environmental sustainability principles: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. Its main goals are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, utilize natural resources more efficiently, and protect the environment.

These principles cover all elements and stages of the TV production – from the set construction, styling, catering, cleaning, and waste management to content and post production. These practices are certified by albert – an organisation that, in collaboration with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), has been supporting the environmental sustainability of the television and film industry for more than ten years.

The certification process involves measuring the carbon footprint of productions, drafting an action plan (evaluated based on 94 criteria), compensating carbon emissions through investments in environmental projects, and the training of production and creative teams.

We are proud that in the summer of 2022 “The Voice of Bulgaria” become the first certified environmentally sustainable, carbon neutral television show in Bulgaria. As a first separate waste collection project, we feel proud that as of August 2022 we have dispatched for recycling: 25 kg of plastic, 14 kg of paper, 4 kg of metal, and 7 kg of glass. The measures introduced in the past ninth season of the show helped prevent the use of large amounts of disposable plastic products: 2,500 plastic water bottles, 4,000 cups, 3,000 plastic cutlery, and more than 4,000 plastic food boxes.

“The Nikolaos Tsitiridis Show” became the second television show in Bulgaria to be certified by albert, followed by “Before Noon”. In addition, “Before Noon” also got a composter in its cooking segment “Yes, Chef”, and launched its new segment “Green Minutes”, dedicated to protecting the environment.

In early 2023, three more bTV shows were certified – lifestyle show “COOLt”, public affairs show “120 Minutes”, as well as the morning show “This Morning”, which also launched a segment focused on green innovation and environmental news. The segment runs twice a week.

What's next?

The process of certification continues at MasterChef, whose last few seasons followed the concept of zero waste when using food during the show production. Very soon, we expect the results of the carbon footprint measurement at bTV Media Group and CME in 2022.

We hope that through our joint efforts we will serve as a role model of a television that is environmentally conscious and inspires action for a cleaner, greener planet.