True to Nature is committed to reducing the environmental impact of all productions and embedding sustainable practices that will be beneficial to the future of the planet. We continually  assess and improve our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy, production delivery and overall operating methods.

We have an excellent track record working with broadcasters to offset carbon emissions that we are not able to eliminate over the  course of a production. In addition, each production commits to one team and one personal ‘green pledge’ over the course of each project, which can range from volunteer work on sustainability projects related to the content we’re working on, from committing to no use of single use plastics wherever possible, to vegan days during the projects.

True to Nature are proud to be backed by Sky Studios. Sky have received CarbonNeutral® certification on all their productions since 2019 and continue to be world leaders in sustainability in the broadcast industry. Sky jointly founded the BAFTA Albert Consortium in 2011.

True to Nature’s sustainability focus in action:

One Zoo Three – The OZT production team worked closely with the Woodland Trust to secure a package of tree saplings which were used as props. Once filming concluded, rather than dispose of the sapling samples, the production team approached several local schools to plant the trees on their school grounds.  Schoolchildren of a wide age range helped plant the saplings in easily visible spaces around their school grounds, helping them invest in the Woodland Trust planting project and learn about the importance of tree planting with carbon capture and promoting biodiversity in urban areas.  Members of the OZT team gave a short presentation to the schools about trees and their vital role in helping to combat climate change as part of the exciting day.

The PREDATORS team recently took half a day out of their busy schedule to take part in a beach clean initiative for Surfers Against Sewage and Million Mile Clean in Weston-Super-Mare, near Bristol; they were able to recycle half of the litter they collected.

Equipped with shovels, trowels, gloves and bags of energy, members of the ONE ZOO THREE production team arrived at the Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire set for a few day’s hard graft.  They quickly set about helping the park’s landscape team turn an old bush scrub area outside the jaguar enclosure into a bright and colourful new garden area.  But the new space was not only intended for the parks many visitors.  The team also helped install 3 bug hotels in the letter shapes O, Z and T which had been made out of ash tree trunk offcuts donated by a local shop fitting design agency to help encourage lots of bugs and insects to the area too!

And to complete the sustainable scene, a large bench was also cleverly crafted from the ash and positioned for visitors to relax and enjoy the new garden.

The True to Nature team also got hands-on making swift bird boxes out of recycled wood as part of a practical workshop the Paradise Wildlife Park regularly run to encourage local school children across the county to take part in conservation.

SHARK with STEVE BACKSHALL launched on Sky Nature in autumn 2021, in conjunction with COP26. Alongside, True to Nature took part in several influencer events around the UK with a focus on driving conversations and change around sustainability and climate change. 

EXPEDITION with STEVE BACKSHALL was certified as a Carbon Neutral production. UKTV offset the production’s carbon emissions by funding a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) project in the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve in Borneo, Indonesia. The project preserves carbon-dense tropical peat swamp by helping to halt the deforestation of 65,000 hectares of forest which was earmarked for conversion to palm oil plantations.

Botanica by Airwick and WWF – True to Nature made a series of short films as part of Botanica and WWFs Bring Nature Back campaign. Air Wick have pledged to donate £300,000 per year from 2021 to 2023 WWF-UK to fund the restoration of 20 million square feet of precious wildflower habitats in the UK.

Chagos Archipelago – This 30-minute short film delivered the important story of the fragile island eco-systems and educated its audience about the importance of Chagos’ biodiversity and the importance of the ‘treading lightly’ philosophy in this very special place.

Equipped with litter pickers and plenty of bags, the Whale with Steve Backshall team set off on paddle boards, kayaks and a small electric boat, in a quest to clear up Bristol’s waters. 

Litter on Bristol Harbourside often gets pulled by the current into small crevices and hard to reach areas by land, so doing this from the water was an excellent way of helping to clean up the water.

Despite the cold and blustery conditions, the team managed to pick over 3 bags full of rubbish, much of which was able to be recycled, as well as having a really enjoyable team day out. 

Alongside this, members of the team have continued to litter pick whilst on shooting locations, namely on their latest shoot in the Scottish Highlands, with individuals picking litter on some of the beaches they’ve been filming on.