Carbon costs & stricter ESG rules are only a few years away for many digital signage businesses. In the latest D=Sign Power Hour, experts shared five things that should be on every company’s roadmap.
Short-term threats often overshadow long-term priorities – and that’s exactly what’s happening with the EU’s sustainability reporting regulations.
Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the potential re-election of Donald Trump, the EU has decided to delay reporting requirements for smaller enterprises by two years. Despite this temporary pause, the long-term direction is clear: ProAV companies will soon face stricter sustainability regulations.
How the ProAV industry can prepare for this shift was the focus of the latest D=Sign Power Hour, a webinar series organized by Avixa. The session was hosted by invidis’ Florian Rotberg and featured insights from Magdalena Bogatinovska (Visionect), Barbara Lange (Kibo 121), and Martyn Burton (Save AV).
The discussion highlighted two key ways environmental responsibility is reshaping business strategy:
The Rising Cost of Carbon
As carbon pricing rises, industries may soon be required to purchase carbon credits – potentially adding €100 or more to the cost of a single digital signage display. This highlights the financial risks of carbon-intensive technologies and reinforces the need for more sustainable design and deployment strategies.
The Role of Software and Smart Management
The Green Software Initiative is helping to spotlight the environmental impact of software and cloud services – not only through more efficient data centers but also by reducing the volume of data sent to digital touchpoints. Remote management tools, predictive maintenance, and EV-powered service fleets offer further opportunities to cut energy use and service costs.
According to the panelists, these are the key areas where the ProAV industry should focus its sustainability efforts:
- Sustainable packaging and materials
- Lifecycle strategies: from financing and refurbishment to second- and third-life remarketing – and understanding the limits of circularity
- Power consumption across different display technologies, including LCD, LED, e-paper, SoC vs. external media players, and considerations tied to regional energy sources
- Carbon footprint measurement and regulatory compliance
- Remote device management and monitoring
All panelists agreed that sustainability needs to be approached holistically. They suggested framing these focus areas as a five-step roadmap for navigating the complex and evolving landscape of global ESG regulations.
With regulatory landscapes shifting and customer expectations evolving, one thing is clear: sustainability in ProAV is no longer optional – it’s essential.
