Bristol studio lands title of world’s most sustainable TV and movie production site
Film and television production complex TBY2, part of Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios, has been named as the world’s most sustainable movie and TV programme-making site.
The accolade from BAFTA albert, the leading authority on environmental sustainability in the screen industries, comes three years after the £12m studio opened.
Its three premium soundproofed stages have already been used to produce a number of high-end TV bookings, including Disney+ hit Rivals. 
BAFTA albert’s 2025/26 Studio Sustainability Standard Report rates TBY2 as the highest performing studio of the year.
TBY2 is rated ‘outstanding’ with an overall score of 97% – the highest of 31 global studios and a 4% increase on last year’s score.
Meanwhile The Bottle Yard Studios’ main site, which opened in 20210 in a disused bottling warehouse in Hengrove and has since put Bristol firmly on the movie-making map, is rated ‘excellent’ with a score of 83%, a significant improvement on its previous ‘very good’ rating (78%).
TBY2 forms a major part of The Bottle Yard Studios site, the largest film and TV production facility in the West of England with 11 stages and whose recent output has included BBC productions The Outlaws (BBC/Amazon), The Road Trip (Paramount+) and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
Sustainable features at TBY2 include a sophisticated building management system that controls built-in heating, cooling and ventilation in all stages, whilst optimising energy conservation.
The Outlaws (image courtesy of BBC, Amazon Prime Video, Big Talk Studios and Four Eyes)
TBY2’s power supply is supported by 1MW solar array funded by Bristol Energy Cooperative – believed to be the largest community-owned rooftop PV installation in the UK – which is connected to Bristol’s ground-breaking City Leap network.
The rooftop array won the Sustainable Initiative Award at the 2023 Global Production Awards.
Other sustainable measures at both studio complexes include a comprehensive sustainability toolkit – including local green suppliers directory and accommodation list- a full waste management strategy supported by Bristol Waste, EV charging and cycling facilities, single-use plastics policy and active links with community and industry partners to assist the repurpose and reuse of everything from sets and office furniture to work clothing.
Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council, said: “As a dual-site complex, The Bottle Yard Studios accommodates productions working at a range of budgets with differing needs – but our commitment to sustainability is consistent across our entire operation.
TBY2 Studio 9 (image credit – The Bottle Yard Studios)
“Our state-of-the-art TBY2 facility has sustainability embedded into every element of its design, including its 1MW community-owned solar rooftop, whilst our main site continues to drive forward a regime of improvements and our operational team makes every effort to help productions work more sustainably with a particular focus on supporting a circular economy here in Bristol. We remain fully committed to continuing this important work.”
April Sotomayor, head of industry sustainability at BAFTA albert, said studios from across the globe had stepped up in the industry’s fight against climate change.
“This year we’ve seen more investment in innovation, more support for local communities and vital education programmes being implemented to train people on how they can tackle environmental impact in their roles,” she added.
“Studios play such an important role in the production of content and it is reassuring to see so many are committed to making a difference for the future of our planet.”
The Studio Sustainability Standard is a global, voluntary scheme designed by BAFTA albert and international consultancy Arup to help studios measure and reduce the environmental impact of their facilities.
The scorecard takes a holistic approach and assesses studios based on their impacts and policies across six themes – climate, circularity, nature, people, management and data.
It looks beyond carbon impacts and also explores how studios interact with biodiversity on site and how they embed sustainability principles for staff and productions to build a culture that supports the transition to net zero.
Participating studios receive a bespoke performance report as well as a grade which allows them to benchmark their own progress as well as compare themselves to other studio facilities across the globe.
The Bottle Yard Studios is currently shortlisted for Studio of the Year at the 2025 Global Production Awards, which celebrate outstanding and sustainable work in the world of film/TV production, locations and studios. The awards take place on 19 May at the Cannes Film Festival.
Other recent Bottle Yard productions include Am I Being Unreasonable?, Boarders and The Beaker Girls (BBC)(BBC), The Killing Kind and The Flatshare (Paramount+), McDonald & Dodds (ITV) and Becoming Elizabeth (Starz).
