Creativity by circular economy

Using renewables, avoiding waste, and relying on regional food and beverages are not best practices exclusive to film productions. The Berlinale is taking numerous behind-the-scenes measures to make the festival as carbon-neutral as possible. “At the Berlinale, we’re not simply presenting various films that have been sustainably produced; we’re also setting a great example”, says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick, who, piloting his swan song edition of the Berlinale, is presenting a unique world premiere. “For the first time in the history of the Berlinale, we’re
going to roll out the red carpet — which is green! It’s made of yarn produced from recycled fish nets.”

No one is going to notice the source material when international stars walk down the red carpet in front of the Berlinale Palast. The Berlinale’s new Walk of Fame carpet is made from one-hundred-percent recycled polyamide. Industrial waste and worn-out fish nets, materials which would have otherwise ended up as either landfill or ocean pollutants, were indeed used. Recycled polyamide has a much longer life span than ordinary yarn. And during the production process, water consumption is reduced by 15 %, carbon emissions by 85 %, and organic waste by 80 %.

During the manufacturing process, all left-over raw materials are collected, sorted, and reused in the production cycle. In order to produce these carpets in a resource-efficient manner, new mechanical engineering techniques were dev- eloped to maximize the use of raw materials. Furthermore, the recycled
carpets are free of dangerous ingredients, such as polyvinyl chloride, bitumen, and latex which are health hazards to consumers. In recognition of its efforts to stick to environmental standards, the German manufacturer was awarded the Blue Angel eco label.

Among the filmmakers in competition at the Berlinale who are going to be the first to walk down this carpet is the award-winning Hamburg- based Director Fatih Akin, who already received a Golden Bear at the 2004 Berlinale. During the production of his latest Berlinale entry, The Golden Glove, the crew took environmentally-friendly measures in the catering, transportation, and production design departments.

For some Berlinale Talents, it’s an artistic challenge to create all the necessary scenery by relying on recycled materials. New York-based filmmaker and production designer Rocio Gimenez used about 4,000 square feet of cardboard to design an impressive set that included furniture, floors, carpets, wallpaper, and appliances. Meanwhile, the young set designer Ming Jen Hsieh from Taiwan is constructing films sets from driftwood that washed up on the beach. The circular economy is a budgetary matter for some filmmakers, but an inspiration for others to respond creatively.

Photos:@ EFP/ Areti Kominou /Healthy Seas – Courtesy of Carpet Concept