According to a Sony research study, businesses in Europe are willing to spend more for sustainable solutions. The change in mindset is driven, among other reasons, by the new CSRD rules.
Around eight out of ten companies in Europe are willing to invest more in purchasing AV technology if the products are either manufactured more sustainably or are more energy efficient. This is the result of a study conducted by Sony Professional Displays and Solutions Europe together with the market research company Censuswide. More than 1,000 AV professionals and end-user decision-makers from companies in Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and France were surveyed across all industries.
According to this, 84 percent of AV decision makers surveyed across Europe are willing to spend 20 percent more on sustainable AV technology. In Germany, this figure is even higher with nine out of ten open to spend more for sustainable ProAV and digital signage. 35 percent of the companies surveyed – in Germany, 34 percent – are even willing to pay more than 50 percent more for more sustainable AV solutions.
85 percent also stated that a provider’s sustainability practices are important when selecting an AV partner, with 79 percent believing that a lack of sustainability practices among potential providers is a deterrent.
Significant impact of new Sustainability Reporting
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the interlinked European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) will be influencing the procurement policies over the next two years, according to the survey. More than a third (34 percent) of the companies surveyed said that the EU CSRD will have a significant impact and that preference will be given to AV suppliers with strong sustainability practices. Around half of the respondents (45 percent) rate the CSRD impact as moderate.
“We often hear that companies have a desire to become more sustainable, but are not willing to pay more for sustainable solutions. This study challenges this prejudice,” says Rik Willemse, Head of Professional Displays and Solutions at Sony Europe. “It is encouraging to see that companies are willing to walk the talk when it comes to sustainability. We believe it is now up to AV suppliers to bring more sustainable solutions to market and clearly explain their benefits to their customers. At Sony, we take this task seriously, for example through our company-wide Road to Zero initiative and sustainable product solutions such as the Sorplas recycled plastic used in our Bravia displays.”
Further results
Across almost all countries surveyed, respondents believed that their own company’s ethical standards have the greatest influence on sustainable business operations. In Germany, a different picture emerges: Here, sustainability plays the biggest role in employee recruitment.
The study also asked participants which environmental labels play the biggest role for decision-makers: Energy Star was mentioned most often (42 percent), followed by Carbon Trust (41 percent) and Ecovadis (30 percent). In Germany, the ranking did not change, but the percentages were distributed slightly differently: Energy Star 45, Carbon Trust 32 and Ecovadis 26 percent.
