SALTO's Environment and Sustainability Strategy establishes an actionable blueprint tailored for a small-scale animation studio, aligning with the European Green Deal and the principles of the European Booklet for Green Productions by Social Partners.

Animation studios run on massive data pipelines, digital storage, and heavy computer processing. Because of this digital-first footprint, SALTO's approach focuses tightly on hardware efficiency, green rendering pipelines, and active workplace social dialogue.

Strategic Governance & Social Dialogue

Sustainability requires total workplace collaboration. This module applies the Social Partners’ framework by balancing workplace well-being with environmental responsibility.

• Green Coordinator Appointment: We find it important to monitor the studio’s daily emissions so we appoint one team member as the Green Coordinator each year to closely follow our footprint.
• Eco-friendly workplace practices: We conduct alignment meetings twice a year to continuously update our practices.
• Mandatory Sustainability Training: We find it important to put the team through recognized European green production training modules. We believe it is important that, in addition to the core team, production managers and animators also participate in the current sustainability training sessions.
• Transparency Letters: We distribute a formal sustainability commitment letter to all freelance artists and external co-producers at the start of every project.

Digital Infrastructure & Green Post-Production

Digital workflows generate the vast majority of an animation studio's carbon footprint. This module targets infrastructure optimization.

• Green Data Centers: Our goal in the following years is to migrate all cloud storage and external render node activities exclusively to providers powered by 100% renewable energy.
• Asset Lifecycle Management: We find it extremely important to rely on Digital Asset Management (DAM) software and Interoperable Master Format (IMF) workflows in order to prevent storage bloat and redundant file versions.
• Responsible AI & Machine Learning: We are working on our in-house AI policy, that help our team understand how to incorporate AI in our everyday work. We find it important to avoid resource-intensive custom model training and use optimized, pre-trained AI models instead.

The Four 'R's in Studio Operations

SALTO implements a strict waste-reduction policy centered on the European framework's core circular tenets: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle.

[ REDUCE ]  ──>  Minimize hardware purchasing & cloud processing bloat
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[ REUSE ]   ──>  Repurpose background sets, 3D rigs, and source code
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[ REPAIR ]  ──>  Extend workstation life via component upgrades over replacement
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[ RECYCLE ] ──>  Process components strictly through certified European e-waste systems

• Procurement: We find it important to lease IT equipment rather than buying it outright, or source certified-refurbished workstations.
• Office Practices: We maintain a completely paperless environment by digitizing all storyboards, legal contracts, and administrative scripts.

Mobility & Smart Working

Transportation and everyday studio travel significantly impact global footprints. This module manages commuting habits.

• Hybrid Work Framework: We allow our team to work from home up to 3 days a week, significantly reducing local commuting emissions.
• Virtual Pitching: We require production, client, and distribution meetings to happen online and we encourage our team to participate in large-scale professional events attended by the industry’s most prominent players, so that one-on-one meetings can take place in one location, eliminating non-essential air travel.
• Active Travel Subsidies: We encourage our team to use public transport and alternative modes of transportation (bike, scooter, rollerblade etc.) in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We also support the use of car/bike/scooter sharing applications to further minimize reliance on private vehicles, reduce urban traffic congestion, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
  We gamify our commute with an in-house tracking system where team members log their low-carbon miles to unlock rewards, foster friendly competition, and directly visualize our collective emission reductions. We strongly believe that this way we are turning sustainable transportation into a fun challenge that rewards eco-friendly choices, we keep environmental accountability top-of-mind, and we also inspire healthy peer motivation.

Monitoring, Compliance, & Certification

SALTO uses data to track and validate progress, keeping all sustainability targets transparent.