Sustainability Advisor Initiative (Pilot)

The Sustainability Advisor Initiative is a Screen Ireland pilot scheme that funds the engagement fee of a Sustainability Lead on a production already in receipt of Screen Ireland funding. It exists to make the Screen Ireland Sustainability Standards (V1.4) mandate of a named Sustainability Advisor affordable for producers — V1.4 makes the role mandatory; this scheme covers the fee.

The scheme is distinct from the Sustainability Innovation Fund (Pilot) which funds the sustainability measures themselves. The two stack: this scheme pays the advisor to recommend, Innovation Fund pays for what the advisor recommends.

What it covers

Three strands based on the production's Irish-shoot duration:

The fee is paid against the advisor's invoice once Screen Ireland approves the application. There is no part-payment or staged release.

Eligibility

The production must be:

• In receipt of Screen Ireland production funding — or be an SI Focus Short for Strand 3
• A live-action scripted feature, television drama, or Focus Short

Documentary, animation TV, and other formats are outside the live-action scripted scope of V1.4 and therefore outside this scheme.

What the advisor commits to

A funded advisor undertakes specific deliverables across the production:

• Complete the Carbon Calculator — Albert or an approved alternative, throughout the production lifecycle
• Implement carbon-reducing measures — concrete operational changes the advisor recommends and the production adopts
• Work with department heads on sustainability initiatives — embedding sustainability across the 22 V1.4 department guidelines
• Ensure adherence to Screen Ireland Sustainability Standards (V1.4) — the production must comply with V1.4 across the 8 topic standards

Post-production deliverables

Three artefacts at wrap:

1. Case study report — what worked, what didn't, what other productions can learn
2. Promotional materials — photos / video / soundbites that Screen Ireland may publish
3. Full Carbon Calculator results — may be shared publicly by Screen Ireland

These deliverables may be shared publicly. Producers should brief the advisor on this at engagement.

Application

The Sustainability Advisor Fund Application Form is a Word document published by Screen Ireland. The producer fills the form, names the advisor + the advisor's terms, and submits.

When to apply

Rolling — no fixed deadline. Application timing matters because work cannot start until approval is in hand. Practical pacing: apply once you have the principal SI funding offer in hand and the named advisor agreed, well before pre-production starts so the advisor can be active from day one of prep.

Submission

Application form goes to: sustainabilityadvisors@screenireland.ie

The numbers worth remembering

How Togra supports this

When a project has Screen Ireland production funding awarded, the Sustainability tracker surfaces an eligible-top-ups panel linking directly into the Sustainability Advisor Initiative funder round with the three-strand fee table and the "work cannot start before approval" gate visible inline. The V1.4 preflight banner on the Sustainability page nudges producers to engage an advisor (and apply for this fee) before pre-production starts — exactly the window in which the gate matters.