CPD Releases First Sustainable Guide for the Art Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, ON, April 30, 2026 — The Canadian Production Design Association (CPD) today announces the release of The CPD Sustainability Playbook: Circular Production Design Best Practices for Film & Television, the first sustainability guide written specifically for production designers, set decorators, and the broader art department working in Canadian film and television.
Released on the final day of Earth Month, the Playbook is a comprehensive, freely available public resource covering the full scope of the art department's environmental footprint, from sustainable sourcing and material specifications to construction waste management, paint and scenic art standards, set decoration, greens, props, and carbon tracking.
“Sustainability in the art department doesn't start at wrap,” said Rose Lagacé, President of the Canadian Production Design Association. “It starts at the first sketch. The decisions made at the design table, what we specify, how we direct our departments to source and build, and what we plan for at wrap, are directly connected to a production's environmental performance. This guide gives art department professionals the frameworks and tools to act on that from day one.”
The Playbook addresses the many disciplines working within and alongside the art department, including construction, paint and scenic art, set decoration, greens, props, and graphic design. It also draws on the concept of the carbon handprint, the positive environmental impact created through deliberate sustainable action, as a guiding principle throughout the resource. The Playbook reframes sustainability not as a constraint on creative work, but as an opportunity for art departments to reduce their environmental footprint while creating measurable positive impact.
The CPD Sustainability Playbook was made possible with the proud support of the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Green Screen / Ontario Creates, xoTO, and the City of Toronto. Their support helped CPD develop a practical resource designed to be freely accessible to art department professionals and productions across Canada and internationally.
The guide is freely available to download at canadianproductiondesign.ca.
About the Canadian Production Design Association
The Canadian Production Design Association is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the art and craft of production design in Canada. Through advocacy, education, professional development, and community building, the CPD works to elevate production design and the artists and craftspeople who bring stories to life on screen.
Media Contact
Canadian Production Design Association
info@canadianproductiondesign.ca
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