From tracking carbon footprint on every project, Camilla explains how thorough preparation, ethical supplier relationships, and team education became their blueprint for creating impactful content without impacting the planet. She discusses production methods, the importance of accountability through measurement and why being “producers with purpose” is crucial as brands increasingly prioritise environmental transparency, with some shoots achieving dramatic footprint reductions through smart workflow productions.

Camilla Sorensen on Sustainability, B Corp Certification, and Revolutionizing Production for the Planet

Interview by Tessa Dewing for The Business of Modelling Podcast

Camilla Sorensen never set out to become a sustainability pioneer. The co-founder of Perma Collective started as a student photographer from Sunningdale who “just needed to earn more money” and took a receptionist job at an advertising agency. Today, she runs one of the only two B Corp-certified production companies in the UK.

We caught up with Camilla to discuss her journey from freelancer to “producer with purpose,” and why measuring your carbon footprint is just the beginning.

Camilla’s path into sustainable production wasn’t immediate. After studying photography at Cambridge and climbing the ranks at various agencies and studios including Big Sky, she was doing well as a freelancer when business partner Liam Bergin approached her with a 5-year plan.

“I was like, I don’t have a 2-day plan, but we’d had many late chats after shoots saying ‘this could be done better.’ It felt like we were already a business”

Starting Perma Collective meant taking on a “huge responsibility” but with purpose. “I didn’t want to take on that responsibility unless it was going to be futureproof and have stability in a very uncertain world.”

B Corp Certification: “Then The Hard Work Starts”

Achieving a B Corp status – a rigorous accreditation for businesses committed to people, planet and profit – was always part of Perma’s plan. “The nicest surprise was recognising how much we were already doing. We’d already implemented quite a lot of sustainable workflows.”

“It’s not like ‘great, we’ve got this badge.’ That’s when the hard work starts. You’ve committed to continuously trying to improve.”

The framework covers 5 pillars including governance and mission statements. “Every year we have documents we have to fill out. We have to make sure our code of conduct is reviewed, everyone’s read it and everyone abides by it.”

“You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Measure”

Perma Collective offers full production with carbon footprint certification via Ad Green calculator. “Ad Green is essentially a carbon calculator for the industry. You can record your data so you can calculate your full footprint on a shoot.”

The biggest impact areas? “The heavy hitters are transport and movement of people, then energy consumption. The biggest difference between motion and stills is that motion needs more people.”

But she emphasises they’re not about adding costs: “We’re not saying we need an extra five grand to make that greener.’ We’re saying ‘This is how we’d like to approach it’ and we’ll juggle the budget to make it work.”

The KPMG Campaign That Proved the Model Works

One of Camilla’s proudest projects was a two-phase ESG campaign for KPMG. “We were specifically brought on because the creative agency wanted to make the whole shoot as low impact as possible.”

The second phase showed measurable improvement: “By measuring on the first one, we saw where we fell – transport. On the second one, we made sure anyone living close by carpooled, everyone travelled and took electric vehicles. We reduced our footprint, just by tweaking that.”

Going Global: The Harley Davidson Challenge

Even seemingly contradictory clients like Harley Davidson can embrace sustainable production. “Most people would be like ‘hang on, petrol-guzzling bikes.’ But we just come to the table trying to make the process as conscious as possible.”

Shotting in Spain presented new challenges: “In London, we’re so many steps ahead. Jose (the local producer) was very aware of climate change but didn’t know how to implement that into the production process.”

“It’s Just Part of Being a Producer”

The key to sustainable production isn’t complexity – it’s integration. “We just have a checklist. It becomes just another part of being a producer. It’s about choosing the correct people to be part of your collective.”

Her favourite example involves finding local caterers: “We did a shoot for Bosch which was a couple of hours outside of London. We found this amazing couple with a food truck who made us jackfruit stew with a rice cooker. The crew loved it.”

Final Advice: “Start with a Conversation”

For producers wanting to embrace sustainability, Camilla’s advice is “Anything honestly starts with a conversation. We try to bring everybody into our ethos at the beginning because if everyone’s on the same mindset, we’re working towards the same goal.”

Looking back on building Perma Collective, Camilla says “We’re producers first. Sustainability is baked into our foundation, but ultimately, we’re here to make impactful imagery that’s not impactful on the planet. We just think that’s a better way of doing it.”