Responsible digital signage: the hardware

Digital signage has many advantages over printed posters: it eliminates the need for printing and the use of paper while reducing the number of deliveries. However, the carbon footprint is never zero and the use of a digital signage solution involves the use of screens, which consume energy. How can you ensure that your digital signage is as ecological as possible?
This series of articles presents the various elements to take into account during an environmental audit, from your hardware equipment to your software and data storage. First, the hardware equipment.

The choice of responsible screens

The screens you choose will have a major impact on the amount of energy you use. That's why energy consumption should be part of your criteria when thinking about your equipment. To find low-power screens, you can refer to international labels.
For example, Energy Star, a program initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help businesses choose energy-efficient products. To qualify for this label, solutions must meet strict energy efficiency standards when they are on, in standby mode, or off. According to Energy Star, the digital signage screens who have received the label are on average 18% more Effective than conventional screens, and a digital signage screen certified (31.5 — 60”) saves around €135 in energy over its entire lifespan.

Energy consumption is not the only consideration in your research. You can also watch your supplier's supply chain or ask him to confirm that he is not using any minerals from a conflict zone. Minerals such as gold and tin are found in almost every electronic device, and their production is the source of human rights and environmental abuses.

Reducing your energy consumption

Once you have purchased your screens, how to reducereduce the amount of energy used for your digital signage screens?

• First, make sure that the screens don't stay on unnecessarily : Switch them off at night or when your business is closed.
• Lower the brightness of each screen according to the environment in which it is installed. It will be different depending on the area of the room. Some screens are photosensitive and respond to changes in ambient light, ensuring that you always use the lowest amount of light possible. According to Digital Signage Today, “Reducing the brightness by 100% to 70% probably won't affect the effectiveness of digital signage, but it will reduce your power consumption by 20%.”

→ Find here our advice for properly positioning your screens and adjusting the brightness.

Disposal of electrical equipment

What to do when your screens reach the end of their life or when you want to replace them? All European businesses that use electronic equipment must dispose of it responsibly under the Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This directive aims to limit the environmental impact of electrical equipment by reducing the quantity of equipment that ends up in landfill.

If your screens are still working, consider doing some gift to other businesses or charities that could give them a second life. If they no longer work, turn to businesses certified and specialized in the management of electronic waste. Distributors who sell electronic equipment must offer trade-in solutions, so find out more at the time of purchase.
You can also ask equipment manufacturers about what they are doing to improve product design, as well as to facilitate the recycling and reuse of components and materials. The speed of change will be in proportion to the demand from businesses in this regard.

The following article focuses on the environmental impact of the digital signage content management system that you use.

***

Cenareo offers an intuitive, scalable Saas solution and perfectly adapted to the needs of communication professionals in all sectors of activity: Points of sale, Internal communication, Hotels and restaurants but also DOOH.

{{cta ('a9c3190d-785d-48ac-8685-72490cbafbb5')}}

Our eco-responsible commitment

Our commitments to help you conduct a more sustainable business? Every decision we make about our digital signage solution is guided by the desire to help our customers communicate more easily, more sustainably, while minimizing their carbon footprint.

To do this, we designed a robust solution composed of a SaaS platform and a player raspberry Pi, a reader that consumes very little power, with a consumption around ten times lower than a conventional digital signage player. Beyond its functional qualities, we chose the Raspberry Pi because it is manufactured by the English Raspberry Pi Foundation. This charitable association aims to provide access to technology and education in developing countries. We create and assemble this player in our offices in Toulouse. It is made available to our customers free of charge. In the event of a malfunction or at the end of the contract, we recover this equipment and reuse these components to create new players.

As providers of cloud-based digital services, we process large volumes of image and video data for our customers, and we recognize that we are driving demand for data centers, and therefore energy demand. That's why we called on Microsoft, which achieved carbon neutrality in 2012 and is pursuing the goal of powering its centers with 100% renewable energy.
Our screen supplier partners act at their level to recycle used screens.

In addition, we offer an energy-saving feature that allows you to turn off all your digital signage screens at night, centrally. Every day, we strive to improve the sustainability of digital signage, so that businesses can adopt a more creative and engaged communication approach.