M+E Daily
Going Green: Next Steps For The DVD Industry
Story Highlights
Time was a DVD had the same carbon footprint as a hamburger. But by reducing the amount plastics and paper in the consumer DVD package, U.S. studios and replicators have brought the carbon footprint down by 11% in the past two years, says Disney’s Edwin Van der Meerendonk.
Van der Meerendonk, VP European Operations for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, gave an overview of the industry’s green initiatives to date at last week’s Entertainment Supply Chain conference in London. The executive also chairs a supply chain efficiencies committee for the European branch of the Digital Entertainment Group, through which the U.S. studios have shared their best green practices.
With only 4% of U.S. DVD consumers throwing away disc cases, according to research, Van der Meerendonk notes that durability of the case continues to take precedence over recyclability. That said, studios are now developing disc cases made from 100% recycled materials, while looking for further reductions of the case weight.
Studios are also reviewing what Van der Meerendonk terms “the transport piece” of the DVD business. Efficiencies here can include the elimination of outer shipping cartons — as Sony already has done, he points out — and the optimization of shipping routes. Digital Entertainment Group
