Netflix, Disney, and other streaming giants are publicly pledging to cut emissions by up to half by 2030, with South Africa's Cape Town emerging as a key testing ground for greener film production practices.
Netflix shot One Piece Season 2 in Cape Town using a solar-powered base camp — its biggest African production to date and first off-grid base camp on the continent. The production employed local green production coordinators and implemented waste reduction protocols across all departments.
The push for sustainable production practices is transforming Cape Town's film infrastructure. Local production services companies are investing in electric generators, sustainable catering, and carbon-offset programmes to meet the requirements of major studio sustainability mandates.
Disney+, which has expanded its African production slate through Kugali and other partnerships, is also implementing its "Green Production" guidelines for all new commissions shooting on the continent.
For African production companies, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity: productions that can demonstrate green compliance will have a competitive advantage in attracting international co-productions and studio work. The Cape Town Film Studios and Hartbeespoort Studios have both announced green certification programmes for 2026–27.
Source: dailydispatch.co.za