Hollywood Goes Green? New Carbon Offset Pilot Aims to Clean Up Film and TV's Hidden Footprint
July 14 2026, Updated 12:53 p.m. ET
Atlantic Media Group PLC says it will begin measuring production emissions in 2027 and support methane reduction by funding the plugging of abandoned oil and gas wells.
A new partnership between the Well Done Foundation and Atlantic Media Group PLC (AMG) is taking aim at one of the entertainment industry’s least glamorous realities: the carbon footprint behind film and television production.
The two organizations announced a new production-based carbon offset pilot that will focus on measuring emissions from film, television, and media projects, then supporting methane reduction efforts by plugging abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells across the United States. According to the announcement, the collaboration is designed as a pilot program and future case study for the creative industry, offering production companies a more structured way to calculate emissions, reduce what they can, and make environmental claims only after the offset work has actually been completed.
Under the agreement, AMG will begin assessing the carbon footprint of participating productions in 2027, with contributions to the Well Done Foundation tied to those production-specific emissions totals. In return, the foundation will issue carbon credits, offset documentation, and offset certificates once the underlying work has been completed under its verification and credit issuance procedures.
"Film and television production can be an extremely wasteful industry, especially when travel, energy use, transportation, lodging and production logistics are considered," said Lynn Scheid, chairman of the board of directors for Atlantic Media Group PLC.
Scheid said the company is not treating the initiative as a publicity move, but as an effort to bring more accountability to production operations.
"If we are going to talk about environmental responsibility, we should at least know what our own footprint looks like," added Scheid.
According to the release, Scheid has directed the company’s producers, line producers, executive producers and leadership team to begin calculating not only the emissions from each production, but also the footprint associated with office, operational and broader corporate activities.
The Well Done Foundation’s role centers on locating, measuring, plugging and restoring abandoned and orphaned oil and gas. Methane is widely regarded as a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and the foundation says the benefit of well plugging is that emissions can be stopped directly at the source once the work is completed.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
"Planting trees, recycling, and other sustainability efforts remain important, but methane reduction from orphaned wells is different because the impact can be immediate once the work is completed," said Curtis Shuck, chairman of the Well Done Foundation.
AMG estimates that most of its productions will likely generate footprints in the range of 250 to 400 metric tons of CO₂e, though each project will be evaluated individually. Contributions under the pilot will be calculated using a reduced offtake rate of $20 per carbon credit, while the Well Done Foundation’s standard rate is listed as $25 per carbon credit.
The announcement also points to a broader message aimed at the entertainment business: if studios and producers can track budgets and schedules down to the smallest detail, they should be able to apply the same discipline to measuring production emissions.
The organizations say the collaboration could also open the door for partnerships with film and television sustainability groups, production companies, carbon accounting platforms, and other industry players already working to reduce the environmental impact of entertainment production.
If the pilot works, Hollywood may have a new blueprint for going green that is built on action, not optics.
