Frankfurt, 06 July 2022. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the media industry. At the industry event "Going Green" of Deutsche TV-Plattform on 5 July 2022 in Berlin, industry experts discussed how the production, distribution and reception of audiovisual media content can be designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Conclusion: In content production, measures for the reduction of CO2 are already being evaluated in a targeted manner using concrete criteria. To this end, initiatives such as the Green Shooting working group define uniform minimum ecological standards. On the distribution side, however, the data situation is still patchy; there is a lack of reliable data for the evaluation of CO2 reduction measures for the various distribution channels. The appliance industry is already operating in a tight corset due to numerous legal regulations, especially with regard to eco-design requirements, and will be confronted with further challenges in terms of sustainability in the future due to new EU regulatory packages. 

Andre Prahl, Chairman of Deutsche TV-Plattform: "We have seen how complex and interlinked the topic is across the value chain. An important learning is therefore that we need even more precise data and measurements, especially in distribution, in order to be able to make sensible recommendations for improving energy efficiency. We will take this and numerous other impulses from the event into the working groups of the TV Platform. Sustainability has the potential to become a central topic on our agenda."  

SUSTAINABILITY IN CONTENT PRODUCTION
"Sustainability is the action principle of the current times," said Marie-Fee Taube, Director Sustainability / Corporate Strategy & Development, RTL Germany, in her presentation on sustainability in content production. She said the TV and film industry had jointly recognized and accepted responsibility. This is demonstrated above all by the dialog in the Green Shooting working group - an association of German producers, broadcasters, film funders and associations. The common goal: to make productions as environmentally and climate-friendly as possible and to minimize CO2 emissions. The latest milestone is the commitment to common minimum ecological standards (ÖMS), which will be recognized with the uniform "green motion" label if they are passed. On the basis of the ÖMS, emissions could already be reduced by 50 percent as a rule. "Green Productions is an overall task for the industry - not abruptly, but gradually. We are striving for long-term change with Green Productions," Taube said. In the subsequent discussion with Michael Becker, Head of Scenic Production Commissioned Productions & Sustainability, SWR, Jochen Siegle, Managing Partner, momentifilm, it became apparent that there is great potential for savings, especially in the area of logistics (mobility, travel, transport) as well as energy.

SUSTAINABILITY IN CONTENT DISTRIBUTION Potential savings in video streaming are being jointly investigated by T-Labs Deutsche Telekom and Fraunhofer FOKUS. Peter Pogrzeba (Deutsche Telekom) presented the latest results. The distribution network tends to account for the largest share of energy consumption in the streaming chain (25-35%). The resolution of the signal also plays an important role. At higher streaming resolution (UHD), power consumption increases drastically (up to three times compared to HD), he said. "Overall, however, there is currently no detailed data on power consumption for video streaming in the network," Pogrzeba said. The subsequent panel discussion with Michael Pausch, head of broadcast distribution and frequency management, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and Holger Kuntz, industry engagement marketing, Akamai Technologies, highlighted that when evaluating linear or non-linear distribution, it comes down to content and the use case for the customer, who is increasingly using content via streaming. Live broadcasts remained the domain of traditional broadcasting, even in terms of energy efficiency.

SUSTAINABILITY IN RECEPTION AND OF DEVICES
Christian Eckert, Head of Sustainability & Environment at ZVEI, the German Electrical and Digital Manufacturers' Association, provided an outlook on regulatory projects at European and national level. He highlighted the evolution from the EU's formerly linear approach, which starts with the respective value-added steps such as product design, packaging and disposal, to a circular approach in the future. The "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation" is of particular importance for the appliance industry. This package of measures provides important impetus for a more careful use of resources, greater energy efficiency and thus more climate protection and resilience in Europe. "However, the multitude of sustainability requirements must not be at the expense of product safety or functionality," Eckert emphasized. In the subsequent panel discussion, Volker Blume, CEO, BLU TEC ONE, emphasized that manufacturers have made great progress in recent years with regard to the energy efficiency of televisions - optimizing the devices even further would be difficult. Eckert explained that the relevance of the energy label for TV sets as a purchase criterion is declining, as new calculation modes mean that almost all sets are classified in the same energy class - which offers consumers no orientation. With regard to the recycling of old appliances, Alexander Goldberg, board member, Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte Register, was optimistic. Consumers' knowledge of where end devices such as televisions, receivers and the like are disposed of is continually increasing, he said. As a joint body of the manufacturers, the ear foundation informs consumers nationwide about the correct disposal of old electronic devices with the "Plan E" campaign. Electronic products that have reached the end of their useful life are not waste, but a source of recyclable raw materials. To secure these, old devices must be disposed of properly - for more sustainability and a functioning circular economy.