The Bottle Yard Studios has been named as “the most sustainable film and TV studio in the world”.
With the release of the BAFTA albert 2025/26 Studio Sustainability Standard Report, The Bottle Yard’s Bristol-based TBY2 facility has been officially recognised as the highest performing studio of the year. With an overall score of 97 per cent, TBY2 received the Outstanding rating, placing it at the top of the list of 31 global studios. The Bottle Yard’s TBY1 facility also increased its rating to Excellent, scoring 83 per cent, a significant improvement on its previous Very Good (78 per cent) score, said the company.
The standard is a global, voluntary scheme designed by BAFTA albert and Arup to help studios reduce their environmental impact. Participants receive a performance report and grade, allowing them to benchmark progress.
Forming the largest film and TV studio in the West of England, The Bottle Yard’s two sites provide 11 stages. TBY2 features three soundproofed stages and opened with the backing of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority in 2022.
A building management system controls heating, cooling and ventilation while optimising energy conservation in all of the facility’s stages. TBY2’s power supply is backed by a 1MW solar array funded by Bristol Energy Cooperative and believed to be the largest community-owned rooftop PV installation in the country.
Productions benefit from a sustainability toolkit which provides details of local green suppliers and accommodation, a full waste management strategy, EV charging and cycling facilities and active links with partners to assist in the repurposing of everything from sets and office furniture to work clothing, said the company.
April Sotomayor, head of industry sustainability at BAFTA albert said: “Studios from across the globe have stepped up in our 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. 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.”
Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council, commented: “We are extremely proud that The Bottle Yard’s TBY2 facility is the highest performer in this year’s Studio Sustainability Standard and equally delighted that our main site has shown such significant improvement too. 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. 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 going forward.”
