Two years of mobilisation, over 110 organisations and professionals engaged, 30 countries represented: the ANiMPACT Standards enter their pilot phase with strong and broad industry backing.
ANiMPACT is an international initiative led by CineRegio, Ecoprod and Green Film and supported by leading industry stakeholders including Animation Europe, Cartoon Italia, CEE Animation, Anim’France and CARTOON. Its objective is to establish a coherent, credible and internationally recognised framework for sustainable production in animation.
Unlike live-action production, which has progressively adopted recognised sustainability standards, animation has until now lacked a common, sector-specific reference. ANiMPACT addresses this gap by proposing standards adapted to the operational realities of animation, across both 2D and 3D workflows. It ties in with Ecoprod’s Green Animation Guide and the European carbon calculator Carbulator, developed by AnimFrance.
The standards were developed over two years through a multi-stakeholder process involving sustainability experts, animation studios, producers, public institutions and funding bodies.
“The industry’s enthusiasm and feedback to the ANiMPACT Standards during these two years of mobilisation have been inspiring, underscoring the critical importance of international collaboration in driving meaningful change.” says Charlotte Applegreen from CineRegio.
The operational framework provides a structured approach to sustainability in animation production, organised into 7 categories that address both environmental and social impacts. It comprises 30 criteria (47 when including different options), combining mandatory and voluntary measures. The criteria are applied at both project level, focusing on production-specific practices, and company level, targeting long-term operational strategies and infrastructure. Together, they cover key areas such as governance and CSR, digital workflows and data management, energy and buildings, transportation, eating habits, merchandising, and communication. The core of the framework lies in embedding sustainability into decision-making, ensuring that environmental and social considerations are structurally integrated across all phases of an animation project.
Results of the public consultation
From 3 March to 3 May 2026, a public consultation was conducted across the animation industry. The aim was to gather feedback on the proposed standards before their finalisation, across three dimensions: clarity of the criteria, completeness of the framework, and feasibility of implementation in real production contexts.
The consultation was open to all animation professionals: producers, studios, artists, technicians, sustainability managers, industry associations, film funds, broadcasters and distributors.
The consultation received 117 entries in total, of which 54 included substantive responses and were retained for analysis. Respondents came from 18 countries, predominantly European, with participation also from North America. Italy, France, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium and Slovenia each had multiple participants.
In terms of professional profile, approximately 60% of respondents came from the production side (CEOs, producers, heads of production, line producers), approximately 25% were sustainability specialists, and the remainder included directors, animators, industry associations, film funds and students.
Three findings are consistent across all sections of the questionnaire:
- Clarity and completeness score high: The great majority of respondents rated the criteria as clear and complete, with scores predominantly at 5 out of 5. This validates the conceptual framework.
- Feasibility scores are more moderate. Ratings are typically centred around 3 out of 5, reflecting a gap between theoretical understanding and operational readiness. This is not a rejection of the standards, but a clear signal that implementation support will be essential.
- Implementation levels vary significantly by area. Criteria related to gender balance, wellbeing policies and waste management are already applied by a majority of respondents. Criteria related to carbon footprint measurement, GPU optimisation and sustainable merchandising are largely not yet in place, though respondents recognise their importance.
“Overall, these results confirm that the conceptual framework is sound and well understood. The primary challenge lies in operational application, which will be addressed through guidance tools, practical resources and the pilot phase.” says Alissa Aubenque from Ecoprod.
A new training to help animation professional implement the ANiMPACT standards
Parallel to the presentation of the ANiMPACT standards, Ecoprod and Eurimages are also launching a new e-learning course focussed on “Green Animation” on their training platform StepUP. The course is designed to help anyone in the animation industry better understand the industry’s environmental impacts and define a sustainability strategy based on the ANiMPACT standards.
Launch of the pilot phase in Annecy
All responses collected during the consultation directly informed the next phase of the ANiMPACT timeline, that will be presented in the frame of the MIFA Conference “Greening European Animation” on Thursday 25 June 2026, from 09h30 to 10h30 at the Impérial Palace, marking the official launch of the pilot phase ANiMPACT is seeking animation productions willing to test the standards in real conditions. Pilot projects will implement selected measures, provide feedback, and directly shape the final framework. Eligible projects must be completed, or at an advanced stage of production, by June 2027.
Productions interested in joining are invited to meet the team at MIFA in Annecy, or to reach out by email.
“These pilot projects will play a key role in testing the operational feasibility of the standards, identifying areas for refinement, and demonstrating how sustainability can be effectively integrated into animation workflows” says Luca Ferrario from Green Film.
Presentation Webinar
The ANiMPACT team is co-organising a presentation webinar in partnership with StepUp. The session will cover the consultation results, the structure of the pilot phase and practical steps for engagement, as well as presenting the new e-learning course on Green Animation.
Date and registration details: July 1st at 11am CEST https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GE2CmdhxQx6KB2gcZWBlyg
ANiMPACT is a joint initiative of CineRegio, Ecoprod and Green Film.
The initiative unites CineRegio, the network of 53 European regional film funds, Ecoprod, a non-profit organisation promoting sustainability in the film industry with more than 450 members and Green Film, a widely adopted European sustainability certification for the film industry, currently in use across 10 countries.
