Security Shredding… An Important Part of the Motion Picture Industry Inside Kodak's Film Salvage Company

By Karen Fuller

The motion picture industry has been known for blockbusters. And if not blockbusters, then the movies we love—the types of films that drive the intensity and keep us at the edges of our seats, or comedies that make us roll in the aisles. Then, there is the television industry that creates weekly dramas so you dare not miss a single episode, or documentaries that keep us abreast of our past and present, and what may be in the future.

As big as the motion picture industry is, and the impact that it has on a variety of consumers, it is an industry that strives on recycling to protect its sensitive products against piracy and preservation of the environment. Based on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) 2005 Solid Waste Task Force Report, it revealed that the Motion Picture Industry had achieved a recycling rate of more than 68%. The report also revealed that approximately 24,000 tons of solid waste was recycled and not disposed into landfills. The Solid Waste Task Force report further stated, “several motion picture industry studios purchase recycled and environmentally sound products”.

So, what else do we know about what goes on behind the scenes of the Motion Picture Industry? I am not speaking about the producers, writers, directors, and actors, but those who really are behind the scenes; specifically, the people responsible for the recycling and destruction of the film, tapes, and digital media that house sensitive information that may be hazardous to the environment, or that can be recycled and used in new products.

For several decades, the Film Salvage Company has been a major provider of recycling print services that helps the motion picture industry fight against piracy, protect print material, and preserve the environment, according to Debbi Villareal-Mitra, director of Worldwide Print Services of FPC, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak Company.

The Film Salvage Company
FSC. Those are the initials of the film recovery business that the motion picture industry has come to trust and depend on. Just as many American businesses have established policies and procedures to guard against theft of customer information and protect the confidentiality of material during recycling and document destruction, the Film Salvage Company (FSC), a division of FPC. FPC does likewise in its area of expertise—and it has an additional area to address while providing recycling and print destruction services to its customers. According to Villareal-Mitra, “p rint piracy is a huge concern to the motion picture industry. Every year, the industry suffers billions of dollars in revenue loss to print pirates. By closely partnering with our customers through our secure and efficient process of destroying and disposing of their end-of-life print assets, our customers are assured that their assets are not floating out there, providing illegal commerce to print pirates.”

Dating back to 1988, when Kodak purchased FPC, housed under Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division, its main focus was “the protection of the studio print assets and preserving the environment,” said Villareal-Mitra. She adds, “The protection of the studio print assets and preserving the environment are vital to the motion picture industry.” By demonstrating a strong commitment to print recycling and anti-piracy practices, the Film Salvage Company's efforts have not gone unnoticed. In fact, in March 2000, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the FSC for its streamlined recycling process.

In addition to ensuring high quality recycling and destruction services and protecting the industry's assets from piracy , “ the Film Salvage Company works as partners with its customers and works closely and cooperatively with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and other government entities,” Villareal-Mitra says.

While the Film Salvage Company serves the motion picture industry as the leader in print recycling and destruction, its business is not limited to studios. As Villareal-Mitra explains, the m otion picture industry comprises many facets, such as major studios, independent film makers, laboratories that process the prints for the studios and other related businesses such as production, post-production, and editing houses, film storage facilities, private film collectors, and agencies. Although the Film Salvage Company focuses on Kodak prints, it has handled other products that are not manufactured by Kodak.

Looking behind the scenes of recycling for the motion picture industry
As mentioned, the motion picture industry recycles to protect valuable print assets from piracy and also to help protect the environment. According to Villareal-Mitra, “ the environment is preserved by diverting the end-of-life prints into reusable materials, instead of dumping them into the landfills.” The Film Salvage Company recycles films and tape of all formats, except nitrate film, she says.

So, just how does the Film Salvage Company do what it does so well? It utilizes secure and streamlined destruction methods and responsible recycling options. As materials are received at one of the Film Salvage Company's locations, the film is cut or chopped and generally recycled into new plastics. A very small percentage is burned for fuel energy. The accessories, such as cores, reels, cases, cans, spools, etc., that are made of plastic or metal, are recycled for applications in other industries. According to Villareal-Mitra, “N othing goes to the dumpster.”

The Film Salvage Company Locations
The Film Salvage Company has recycling facilities in Hollywood , California , Mountain City , Tennessee , and Milan , Italy . “The Tennessee facility is the main destruction operation in the United States that receives materials for junking,” said Villareal-Mitra . The Tennessee facility is among the numerous Kodak manufacturing facilities that are ISO 14001 certified. Richard Wittenberg, the Tennessee FSC Plant Manager and divisional Vice President, commented " ISO 14001 defines us as good corporate citizens of the surrounding community we are located in. We have found that these operating principles are highly valued by businesses seeking our services, and quite often, this status becomes the deciding factor when choosing between us and the competition. Integrating the ISO standards to our corporate policies and processes continues to raise work awareness for all aspects of our operations, while elevating our attractability to those who seek our service."

The California warehouse is a smaller operation that serves the local studio lots, labs, etc., said Villareal-Mitra. From this location, the company provides onsite pickup service for businesses located within a 10-mile radius. This warehouse also receives small amounts for destruction. Large junkings (consisting of several pallets, usually about half-a-truckload or so) are directed to the Tennessee facility.

Much like the Tennessee site, the Milan , Italy operation receives junking volumes from the European region. FPC Italia was established in 1996 to service the print destruction requirements of the major studios in Europe . She further states, “during the first year of the Milan operation, it recycled less than a million pounds of print film. Over the past decade, the facility has destroyed and recycled, and continues to destroy and recycle several million pounds of movie prints. Additionally, FPC Italia is looking to expand its operations to service a larger geographic area. It enjoys the same reputation of trustworthiness and reliability that its U.S. counterpart has, which is maintaining a high standard of customer service satisfaction. According to Mario Ubezio, General Manager of the FPC European branch," Our anti-piracy and environmentally-friendly destruction and disposal method of motion picture prints are consistent with Kodak's environmental preservation policy. FPC Italy makes certain that the studios' print assets are protected against piracy and copyright infringement by means of a certified service that frees them of worries on their prints' security. In Europe , this is even more important because of the tight environmental legislations and potential piracy when the movie is released on different dates throughout the European territories."

Inside the Film Salvage Company facilities
”FSC maintains secure facilities and enforces strict access to its warehouses,” said Villareal-Mitra . Materials are destroyed as quickly as possible, usually within days of receipt. The Film Salvage Company also works closely with the print transporters to ensure that the materials are properly packed so they reach the company's facility intact and in padlocked containers. Every shipment is documented by alert sheets and the Film Salvage Company issues certificates of destruction to its customers.

As environmental factors, confidentiality, security and piracy concerns remain important issues, the film industry continues to use organizations such as FPC's Film Salvage Company because of its high reputation that spans decades of excellent quality service and integrity. “Our customers have the peace of mind that their assets are being handled responsibly,” she states. When Eastman Kodak Company purchased FPC almost a couple of decades ago, the “cradle to the grave” concept of print life was completed. With Kodak's integrity and leadership, it made sense to the motion picture industry to trust its assets to us,” she concludes.