At Liverpool Set Design & Build, we aim for the highest standards of environmental responsibility, and ethical practice.

Ethically Sourced Materials

As you’d expect, we prioritize the use of materials that are responsibly / ethically sourced.

We use suppliers who source via sustainable harvesting & manufacturing practices. Helpfully there are certifications for sustainable timber, to make this process pretty east – but we also try to use recycled metals, and biodegradable options where possible.

Additionally, we do all we can to make sure no products in our builds are linked to unethical labor, harmful extraction processes, or environmental degradation.

Eco-Conscious Building

The 3D renders we make for your set design aren’t just pretty pictures to set the mood – we also use these to optimize material usage and avoid unnecessary waste.

Additionally, we try to design each set with modularity and disassembly in mind, ensuring that not only transport requires as few vehicles as possible (and obviously we try to use electric or hybrid vehicles where we can), but try to make sure as many elements of the set can be repurposed for future use, rather than ending up on landfills.

Our builds focus on durability and reusability. Where possible, we choose mechanical fixings over adhesives, to facilitate faster/easier breakdown once the set is done with, but also to maximize potential reuse in future. Where possible, we also try to use eco-conscious paints / sealants / coatings, rather than harmful alternatives.

Recycling

We try to design our sets in a way that allows us to reuse as many of the materials as possible – but sometimes bespoke elements don’t allow for this to occur.

In this case, we aim for those materials to remain in use somewhere in the world for as long as possible, rather than being disposed of.

We collaborate with local artists, and community groups to find creative reuse pathways – and any materials that are of no use to us or them are donated to refurbish furniture for people on low incomes.

We have a reusable inventory of items such as flats, and encourage clients and productions to consider letting us use them where possible, before ordering new builds.

Ethical Labor and Community Responsibility

We believe sustainability in materials is equal in importance to ethical labor practices.

Our team work in safe conditions, are treated with respect, and are compensated fairly, and we only partner with suppliers and subcontractors who have similar ethical standards

And the part you’re probably here for – our refund policy!

To further promote responsible material use, we offer refunds to productions for any scenic materials that can be reused on future sets.

Depending on the size of the build, and the space we have available for storage at the time, it usually takes us 3-5 days to work out how much of the materials from the set can be reused.

We try to be fully transparent about this process.

Any panels cut down from the standard 4x8ft probably aren’t going to be reusable, and the same goes for any lengths of timber that are under 8ft.

Similarly, any elements that had to be glued rather than nailed/screwed/joined are occasionally labor-intensive to restore to a reusable state most of the time – but we do what we can to make our adhesive-use minimal and aim for it to be easy to plane off.

For the majority of cases of permanent installations, around 20% of materials are fully reusable, and refunded to productions. Depending on your build it might be much more, or at tad less – but we’ll let you know the potential figure in the initial quote, rather than leaving it a surprise at the back end!