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FINLAND: WHAT IS THE PROGRESS OF THE “GREENING” PROCESS?
by Samuele Paolinelli
 That a lot of emphasis is placed on innovation and sustainability in Scandinavian countries is common knowledge, but what is the situation regarding the cinema industry? The ambition is to have a "green" and circular economy, and that also includes the exhibition sector, thanks to cinemas that aim to be technically advanced with the goal of not overburdening the environment.
Finland, for instance, has already declared that the country will become carbon neutral by 2035, so cinemas need to keep up with the times. In fact initiatives such as the adoption of laser illuminated projectors can already be funded by the “Cinema modernization and equipment support”, made available by the Finnish Film Foundation.
Before talking about some best practices put in place by exhibitors, let’s have a look to a specific text, called "Ekosetti," prepared by the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) which was created with the purpose of providing useful suggestions and observations aimed at making the entire cinematographic supply chain more eco-sustainable.
Some of the proposed measures could also be adopted by cinema exhibitors who, for instance, could choose to collaborate only with partners who reflect certain values linked to sustainability, or designate a specific member of their staff who is responsible for outlining the green objectives that the cinema must achieve in order to gradually become more sustainable.
During the World Village Festival, Finland's largest cultural festival that aims at influencing for a better world for everyone, there was a focus precisely on the development of issues related to environmental sustainability, and documentaries related to the importance and repercussions generated by climate change were screened. The Festival also organized previews of films related to these issues, such as "Bigger than Us," which shows how young people around the world are fighting for climate and social justice, or "Metamorphosis”, a magical film depicting the true scale of the global environmental crisis.
Speaking specifically about the initiatives implemented by various cinema exhibitors, a virtuous example comes from the Kuvala cinema which, with over 100 years of films behind it, is one of the oldest cinemas in Finland. Today Kuvala is a fully digital and modern premiere cinema. At the beginning of 2011, its entire screening equipment was replaced and the hall and foyer were renovated. Among other things a new, properly insulated, floor was installed, while the lower parts of the walls were also replaced and insulated. These implementations ensure less heat loss during winter, saving energy and unnecessary waste, making this cinema more environmentally friendly.
Another virtuous example that deserves to be mentioned is the Kauttuan Kuva, located in Eura, in the center of Kattua, a cinema which has been active since 1954. In 2023, this cinema installed solar panels on the roof, which annually produce the same amount of energy that the cinema needs to make everything work, therefore also including heating.
For this reason, the cinema can be defined as a “zero-energy” cinema.
Last but not least, the Finnkino Scala, in Kuopio, a site that opened in 2013 and which is completely digital, not only makes use of low energy consumption LED lamps and devotes great importance to recycling and waste sorting, but also screens short films aimed at making people understand the importance of reducing waste and sorting rubbish.
These three cinemas show that also in the case of existing - even very old - buildings it is possible to implement measures that make their operation more sustainable, even if cinemas are energy intensive. In the cases we have mentioned focus has been placed on the energy aspect, overshadowing other issues such as the packaging of food and drinks served in cinemas. This could be a further stimulus that Finnish operators could take advantage of to increase their level of "greenness". |
Production, distribution, exhibition: the whole supply chain in the cinema industry is now digitalized. For movie theatres it has not merely been a matter of replacing analogical projectors with digital, but involved a whole series of technological innovations that regard, for example, the delivery of content to be programmed or communications with the public. 
