Illinois is introducing a 5% tax credit uplift for projects that meet certain sustainability standards to incentivize more environmentally friendly film and TV productions. 

It’s the first state in the US to introduce an uplift like this, governor JB Pritzker said in a release. (Kidscreen was unable to conclusively verify the claim.) It will boost the state’s existing 35% tax credit on qualified Illinois spending to a generous 40%. 

The Illinois Film Office (IFO), run by the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, certifies productions. To qualify, productions should focus on a few different strategies:

• minimize waste
• reduce energy and emissions through efficient transportation and equipment
• use sustainable materials
• implement “responsible food practices” (which could involve swapping animal-based foods, which tend to have a higher carbon footprint, for plant-based ones) 

Producers will have to report their environmental impact across all phases of production to the IPO. 

In the US, this is a pretty significant development, since the country lacks both standards and incentives for sustainable film and TV productions. In countries such as the UK and France, environmental sustainability is increasingly being built into the production process from the earliest stages, since broadcasters and government funding agencies outside of the US are increasingly mandating productions to measure their sustainability efforts and carbon footprint. The bottom line: Internationally, environmental certification is becoming a more common requirement to unlock commissions, renewals or funding. 

And while broadcasters in the US don’t have the same requirements, there are signs of broader US industry interest in adopting sustainability policies. Netflix has pledged to cut its emissions roughly in half by 2030, and back in 2021, the Producers Guild of America called on its members to reduce their footprints. 

This Illinois incentive could inspire other states to follow in its footsteps, especially if it draws productions that are already producing in more sustainable ways to flock there to take advantage of the credit. 

Illinois’s film industry is already on the rise, supporting an estimated 18,000 industry jobs and with expenditures reaching a “record-breaking” US$703 million in 2025. (The government cited trade publication MovieMaker’s ranking from last month naming Chicago the third-best big city for film industry workers.)

“Illinois is leading the way toward a greener future—one that promotes economic opportunity and environmentally sustainable productions at the same time,” said Pritzker.  

Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash