Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1
Katie White, OBE, Minister for Climate at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, MP, was welcomed to the iconic Emmerdale village and studio sets last week to experience first-hand one of the UK’s leading sustainable screen productions.
The Emmerdale team, part of ITV Studios, has been at the forefront of sustainability within the creative industry for over a decade. During the visit, Ms. White met with cast and crew, toured recognisable internal sets including The Woolpack before visiting the Village set to discuss sustainable elements, in particular the heat pump.
In 2025, Emmerdale was awarded the Edinburgh TV Festival’s inaugural Climate Storytelling Award in recognition of its commitment to normalising sustainable behaviours on screen in every episode.
Key sustainability initiatives embedded across the production include:
- Clean Power & Energy Efficiency: Energy efficiency and clean power are central to production operations—from low-energy studio lighting and efficient cooling to heat pumps keeping village facilities warm. The studios generate 50% of their energy from rooftop solar panels, with future plans for ground-mounted solar installations at the village site.
- Transition to Electric Vehicles: Emmerdale is committed to converting 100% of its vehicle fleet to fully electric by 2030.
- Waste Reduction: Sets, props, and costumes are routinely stored, reused, or resold. The production operates paperlessly and made history in 2011 as the first UK production to introduce a fully digital, file-based workflow.
- Nature & Biodiversity: Located in a stunning rural environment, the production actively enhances local ecosystems by planting native British hedgerows, trees, and wildflower meadows, as well as installing bird boxes and bug hotels across the site.
- On-Screen Impact: Emmerdale continues to engage audiences on climate topics under ITV’s wider Climate Content Pledge, and has won a number of awards for normalising sustainable solutions.
Phil Holdgate, ITV Studios’ Head of Production Sustainability, said “It has been an honour to welcome the UK Government’s Climate Transition Minister to Emmerdale today. The work ITV is doing behind the camera to produce our shows in sustainable ways is vital, as is our ability to inform and illustrate through our on-screen storytelling; Emmerdale embodies how both aspects are achievable.
While we still have a long way to go, the recognition provided by this visit is a very welcome milestone on our journey.”
Click for more Emmerdale spoilers. Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube.