With COP26 on the horizon, brands, corporations and governments (with the exception, perhaps of Australia’s) are making sure that the planet’s urgent needs are being noted.

Hitachi is a principal partner of the conference in Glasgow on October 31 and has launched Racing to Zero. The film by agency, Mamapöol, is not the world’s first carbon-neutral commercial. That honour goes to Mediplus and Serviceplan for their commercial for World Environment Day in June, but it is a great effort and both show that it’s possible, which is most important.

Racing to Zero highlights Hitachi’s clean mobility solutions and is running on global digital channels with media buy by Universal McCann. It will also be shown at COP26 in Glasgow from November 1 to 12 in a dedicated IMAX cinema. 

The film was directed by Ivan Bird through Rattling Stick, with voiceover by Oscar-winning director, Sir Sam Mendes. It is powered entirely by cyclists and a solar-powered generator, with zero carbon emissions.

Ivan Bird, director and DOP, Rattling Stick, explained, “Authenticity was really important in this film. So many people talk about carbon neutrality and pay lip service. We generated every single watt of power on set, which was key to the integrity of the film. It wasn’t easy as we were dealing with very low levels of power, the projector had 7 cyclists (3 on camera, 4 off) creating the power – so it couldn’t be Leicester Square levels of luminance. We considered a studio, it would have made our lives considerably easier, but we thought it was important for the message that we were in the environment we were trying to protect.”

Hans Daems, marketing director, Hitachi Europe, stated, “As a principal partner of COP26, we very much hope that it will inspire momentum around global climate action. With this film, we wanted to create something meaningful which not only inspires others but also highlights just some of what is needed to help achieve a low carbon future. At Hitachi, we have actively oriented our business towards the sustainable technology of the future, in order to become a climate change innovator and help governments, cities and our customers cut carbon. Transport is a critical part of that, and making this film firmly underlined what can be done, but also how much work there still is to do. We were absolutely committed to making a zero-carbon powered film and the collaboration needed to achieve this – from absolutely everyone on set to suppliers and the teams behind the scenes was incredible.”

Mamapöol strategic partner, Tom Pinsent, commented, “For years climate change conferences have involved a lot of conversation and goal setting. The time has clearly come though, in the words of Elvis for ‘a little less conversation, a little more action’. We had to live that message ourselves and demonstrate what could be done.”

Mamapöol creative partner, Jason Mendes, added, “The creative challenge to attempt to actually power this carbon zero film seemed an obvious way to ‘do’ not ‘talk’. The film itself is essentially a metaphor for what Hitachi does as a global company, which is a lot of people exerting a lot of effort to make this world a more sustainable one. And we wanted this to work on a human level, because everyone can play their part. Everyone has to play their part.”

Sir Sam Mendes commented, “I’m proud that 1917 was the first carbon-neutral film made in the UK. However, carbon emissions generated from feature film production and distribution remain substantial, so the opportunity to get involved in a project aiming for zero carbon emissions was one I wanted to support. This film highlights that beyond governments every industry and individual can play their part in making our planet greener, offering examples of ways in which it’s possible to reduce emissions. It’s a privilege to lend my voice to the project and speak in some small way to those attending COP26 and beyond.”

The whole production was fully carbon audited and certified by Natural Capital Partners working with an independent assessor. Adgreen also helped in the initial consultation.

Credits:

Client: Hitachi
Hitachi Marketing Team: Hans Daems, Simon Crouch, Kelly Smith & Mioka Suzuki, Candida Cereda, Helen Grundy & Eleanor Middleweek
Hitachi Rail: Kendra Ayling

Creative Agency: Mamapöol
Creative Directors: Jason Mendes & Richard Russell
Creatives: Joe Melvin & Conor Hamil
Strategic Director: Tom Pinsent

Production Company: Rattling Stick 
Director: Ivan Bird
DOP: Ivan Bird
Executive Producer: Johnnie Frankel 
Producers: Polly Du Plessis & Josie Juneau
Production Manager: Alice Winderler

Editor: Vanessa Wood @ Marshall Street Editors 
Music & Sound: Nick Rapaccioli
Post Production: Absolute

VO artist: Sir Sam Mendes 
Sound Studio: Bark Soho
Sound Editor: James Benn