albert certification: what broadcasters ask for and the studio data you'll need
A producer's guide to BAFTA albert certification under the new toolkit, with a list of what to ask any studio for before the shoot so the carbon return is easy to complete.
In short: BAFTA albert is the screen industry's sustainable production certification. Channel 4 says all its productions must aim to achieve it using the Next Generation Toolkit, through the Certified or Committed route. You need a budget line, a carbon estimate and tracked data from every supplier, so ask each studio for its energy supply and usage before you book.
albert certification is the screen industry's mark for a production that has measured its carbon footprint and acted to cut it, and a broadcaster can ask for it as a condition of the commission. Channel 4's producer pages say all its productions must aim to achieve BAFTA Albert Certification using the Next Generation Toolkit. This guide covers what that asks of you, the timeline, and the information to collect from a studio before you hire one.
What has changed in 2026
Channel 4's producer news of 6 August 2026 sets out the changes:
- 17 June 2026. Information on the two certification routes and eligibility went live on albert's website.
- 16 September 2026. The Next Generation Toolkit launched, and uploads from the Carbon Footprint Data Tracker began.
- 17 December 2026. The current toolkit shuts down. Current productions transition to the new one.
The toolkit brings a new carbon calculator, sustainable production guidance and an updated certification programme. The pre-approval process for fast-turnaround and early transmission productions has ended.
The two routes
| Route | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Certified | The standard route for film productions and for TV productions that transmit after production ends. |
| Committed | An exceptional route for TV productions that need recognition, shown as an endboard mark, before their transmission or broadcast date. |
Qualifying productions can use Committed. All other production types must use Certified.
What Channel 4 asks you to do
Channel 4's page gives the steps in this order:
- Choose a certification route.
- Estimate the production's carbon footprint using albert's tools.
- Track emissions in the Carbon Footprint Data Tracker or an alternative workbook.
- Submit the evidence to the toolkit, either by uploading your tracker or entering data line by line.
It also gives early steps for the planning stage:
- Budget for it. Channel 4 expects the budget to cover the time and resource needed for sustainable planning, data collection and certification.
- Estimate early. Draft an initial footprint from the budget and find where it can come down.
- Track as you go. Record data in the tracker or your own workbook, supported by ledgers or logbooks.
- Brief everyone. Share your goals with cast, crew and suppliers through a green memo, and ask suppliers to include carbon details on invoices using albert's templates. Our green memo template is a starting point.
Channel 4's separate sustainable production page still refers to the 2022 rules, but its list of categories is a useful guide: the carbon action plan covers energy, materials, transport and accommodation, with evidence of reduction initiatives. Treat the newer toolkit pages as the authority where they differ.
Training exists if you are new to it. albert's site lists the ScreenSkills Introduction to Sustainability for the Screen Industries as free, and a paid Sustainability Champion Course. Check the site for current prices.
Why studios are part of your return
A studio day uses electricity for lighting, heating and cooling, and it may involve generators, set materials and waste. Those fall under the energy, materials and waste categories you report. Channel 4's sustainable production page tells productions to collect meter readings for all filming and non-filming locations, to use low-energy equipment and spaces, and to choose accommodation supplied with 100% renewable energy.
Two albert schemes aim at studios:
- The Studio Sustainability Standard. It is a voluntary standard launched on 7 April 2022, designed by albert with Arup as technical partner. It assesses a studio facility across six areas: Climate, Circularity, Nature, People, Management and Data. Participating studios submit data each year and receive a report and a score. It targets studios, not productions, but the reports help studios make decisions that cut a production's footprint.
- The albert suppliers directory. albert's draft supplier criteria say a studio listed in it must use 100% renewable energy backed by RE100, REGO or similar, and take part in the Studio Standard at 50% or above, although that can be waived where a supplier meets everything else and has a valid reason for not taking part. They also say that being listed is not an environmental accreditation. The document is a working draft dated February 2025 and says the criteria may change.
The studio data sheet
Ask every studio you consider for the same items. Put them in a table so you can compare.
| Ask for | Why you need it |
|---|---|
| Electricity supplier and whether the tariff is 100% renewable, with the evidence (REGO or RE100) | Energy category, and the studio criteria for the directory. |
| Metered use on your days, or how the studio estimates your share of the site meter | Channel 4 asks for meter readings. If the figure is an estimate, ask how it was made and write the method down. |
| Lighting: what the house rig is, and its load | Channel 4's advice is to use low-energy equipment and spaces. Lighting load differs by fixture type. |
| Heating and cooling during your hire | Part of the energy used on your days. |
| Generator or temporary power fuel | albert's criteria expect low- or zero-emission fuels, and HVO must be certified. |
| Set and build materials | Timber with FSC or PEFC certification and low-VOC paint appear in the criteria for set builders. |
| Waste: what is segregated, recycled or reused, and who collects it | Waste category. |
| Travel: parking, EV charging, public transport access | Transport category. |
| Carbon details printed on the invoice | Channel 4 asks suppliers to supply this using albert's templates. |
| Whether the studio takes part in the Studio Standard, and its latest result | Shows the studio measures itself. |
Ask for the answers in writing, keep them with the shoot file, and record where a number is estimated instead of metered.
A request you can send
A short email at enquiry stage saves chasing later. Something like this works:
We are shooting for a broadcaster that requires albert certification. Before we confirm, could you tell us your electricity supplier and whether the tariff is 100% renewable, how you will report energy use for our dates, what fuel any temporary power runs on, how waste is handled, and whether you can put carbon details on the invoice? If any figure is an estimate, please say how it is calculated.
A studio that answers quickly and in numbers is easier to work with on a return that has a deadline. One that cannot answer is telling you something too, and you can record it and move on.
What we can tell you
At Granary the facts on this page are limited to what is on our site: an EV charger and 15 parking spaces on site, and house lighting that runs both LED and incandescent. Our note on why we run both explains the choice. For anything beyond that, ask when you enquire and agree before the day what will be supplied. The same applies to every studio on your list. Our studio hire page has the rooms.
Mistakes that cost time
- Starting at the wrap. Channel 4 says certification needs accurate, comprehensive data tracking, so planning should begin in pre-production or earlier.
- No budget line. Channel 4 expects the budget to cover certification work. Put the hours in the budget before the commission starts.
- Chasing suppliers afterwards. Ask for data in the booking terms.
- Mixing estimates and actuals without a note. An unlabelled estimate is a gap in your evidence.
- Treating a directory listing as accreditation. albert says being listed in its suppliers directory is not an environmental accreditation or certification.
- Assuming one broadcaster's rule is everyone's. Only Channel 4 is quoted here. Read your own commissioning terms.
Funding and albert
If your short film is funded by BFI NETWORK, carbon footprinting is a condition in pre- and post-production. The page on short film funding covers it. For ways to cut the footprint of a studio day, see lower-carbon shoots.
Sources
- Channel 4, Albert Certification, read 5 November 2026
- Channel 4, New BAFTA Albert Toolkit, read 5 November 2026
- Channel 4, Sustainable production, read 5 November 2026
- BAFTA albert, home page, read 5 November 2026
- BAFTA albert, Supplier Criteria External Overview (working draft, February 2025), read 5 November 2026
- BAFTA, Studio Sustainability Standard launched, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
Is albert certification mandatory?
Channel 4 states that all its productions must aim to achieve BAFTA Albert Certification using the Next Generation Toolkit. Other commissioners set their own terms, so check your commissioning contract. The Studio Sustainability Standard, which applies to studios, is voluntary.
What is the difference between the Certified and Committed routes?
Certified is the standard route for film and for TV that transmits after production ends. Committed is an exceptional route for TV productions that need an endboard mark before transmission. Qualifying fast-turnaround productions use Committed, and all other production types use Certified.
What studio data does an albert carbon footprint need?
The toolkit's detailed inputs are in BAFTA albert's own guides, but the main categories are energy, materials, transport and accommodation. For a studio, ask for its electricity supply and renewable backing, metered or estimated use on your days, any generator or temporary power fuel, waste handling and the lighting load. Ask for the figures in writing.
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