CAMA is a family run company based in Dagenham Docks that is leading the way with digitally managed sustainable storage.
More than big green storage
The East London business has a proud 100-year history of providing premium tailored storage and sustainability services to a wide range of blue-chip corporate clients and more recently to film and TV.
CAMA have found ways to help top UK and US film and TV production companies and small independents keep on top of their inventories and significantly reduce waste.
CAMA safely remove and store props, costumes, equipment, documents and artefacts that clients want to keep, and expertly clear unwanted items. Understanding waste hierarchy, CAMA actively look for options to reuse items before taking them to be recycled. Where items cannot be reused, they ensure 95% are recycled and don’t go to landfill.
The team have a network of contacts ready to buy, rent, or reuse furniture, props, costumes and even cut-offs, that makes any company’s ambitions to be greener much easier to achieve. And it can save money too!
Digital inventory game-changer
CAMA have a secure online portal to log and track items. This makes monitoring and retrieving items easy in real time. What really sets this apart is clients can use the portal to indicate items for sale, rental, reuse, recycling or donation to charity too.
Proving a more sustainable film industry is not a Mission: Impossible
CAMA helped the Mission: Impossible franchise to remove, photograph, itemise and store items seamlessly after filming. Instead of binning or shipping items abroad – both detrimental to the environment – crew used the portal to find new homes for props and furniture from their base in Los Angeles. Production companies in the UK were delighted to reuse parts of the set and save some money.
Recycling TV and film props and furniture
CAMA also make sure that charities benefit too and have donated frequently to the Single Homeless Project where furniture from sets has changed the lives of lots of people. By logging onto the secure portal, the Single Homeless Project team were able to see what was available and select items they need.
Saving costumes and cut offs from landfill
CAMA has saved costumes from landfill and overflowing dusty cupboards, by donating them to charities, smaller productions and rental companies. They also send material cut offs to organisations who can upcycle them, such as Oath Home, a sustainable luxury home furnishings company that donates 100% of its profits to a youth homeless project.
Stand out green achievements
- Boosting the green credentials of Mission: Impossible with Paramount Studios*
- Supported various studios including Netflix, Miramax & Universal and smaller UK productions such as Sister Productions, DNA films, Roughcut Television
- Proud supplier and partner of BAFTA’s ‘We are Albert’ – the authority on environmental sustainability for film + TV.
- ISO 14001 environmental accredited.
- Supporting smaller productions, sixth form academies and charities with donations of items no longer needed.
Michaele Apostolides, Managing Director of CAMA said: “Sustainability isn’t just about doing the right thing, it also makes absolute business sense. Our film, TV and corporate customers want to work with vendors that share their values so having a strong, sustainable ethic helps us to win business. If we can make being sustainable easier for them by ensuring that their unwanted assets are reused, donated or recycled ethically, then that has to be a good thing. When it comes to deliveries, planning transport to maximise efficiency not only allows us to carry out more deliveries, it reduces our emissions and our fuel bill.”
Kate Willard OBE, Estuary Envoy commented: “I love that CAMA have been able to transfer their experience of working with the corporate sector to the creative industry. Their network of charities, schools and productions means anything no longer needed could really help someone else. This is fabulous news for any company or production wanting to reduce waste and help others. I am delighted they have become an Estuary Visionary.”
Find out more cama.co.uk