never compromise.

“Does building your project sustainably mean compromising the build quality or the creative vision?“ 

Never. Not on our watch. Here are two easy steps.

This is probably the most frequently asked question we face in our presentations on Sustainable Production. It’s a fair one that we think harks back to 10-15 years ago, when a sustainably built brand activation would often require some driftwood, identifiable salvaged timbers or thousands of plastic bottles. The more obvious the recycled materials the better. Essentially, a project’s sustainable intentions were there to be communicated unambiguously.

But to answer this question we must first spotlight the word ‘compromise’ itself.

It’s this (unconscious bias) negative-terminology often labelled to sustainability, that can present the greatest obstacle.

So why should poor ole’ sustainability get unfairly tarnished with this brush?

Afterall, we all circumnavigate the real culprits everyday in order to realise a project from concept to physical realisation; short lead times, budget, location, talent, logistics. Things we all accept as par for the course, but never brand or flag as compromises.

Every project we do, we see lead times, budgets and/or logistics influence to a far greater extent how we’re able to realise the brief. And right the way up to the client, these are all just accepted as the specific circumstances of the brief in that moment in time. 

To single out Sustainability suggests it has less value than all other factors, when fundamentally it is the most important. Until we have parity, optimum sustainability is never going to be given a chance.

Besides, although shoving a recycled build in an audiences’ face was once the go to,  audiences have since become far more sophisticated and knowledgeable. Brands need to be more subtle and innovative in  demonstrating how they as a brand embrace and interpret sustainability.

Here are two simple mind ‘re-sets’ that make a big difference: 

1,Replace the word ‘compromise’ with ‘influence’. Alongside all other aspects, a sustainable solution to the brief should influence the production path taken, just like everything else. Instantly, we’ve created a level playing field.

In addition, whilst lead time, budget and logistics usually have a negative connotation, giving a sustainable product path the appropriate and responsible focus and attention, will result in an extremely positive campaign message and core value to communicate to audiences.

Everyone involved will also have a clearer conscience.

2. “How can we realise this concept as sustainably as possible without compromising the creative integrity of the project?”                             

This different mindset puts sustainability factors at the forefront of all production design, stress testing construction design decisions to avoid potential deviation from the creative vision. Our litmus test is to hold up the concept and final build image side by side to confirm negligible deviation between the two. This has never been more so than today. Our builds have never been more sustainable, with innovative production methods woven into the tapestry of the build story.