Looking at Sustainability Through the AV Lens

In recent years, audiovisual (AV) technology has emerged as the benchmark in interactive communications in business enterprises. With its ability to enhance and supplement crucial auditory and visual elements of communications, AV solutions are being used extensively for informing, entertaining, learning, and communicating.

Thanks to its proliferation, there’s a growing focus on how AV technology can manage sustainability through lower energy consumption and carbon footprint. Globally, more industries (including customers) are opting for eco-friendly solutions to minimize environmental damage. The AV industry is not an exception.

In a highly climate-conscious environment, energy efficiency is now a “necessity” instead of a “nice to have.” For instance, energy-efficient LED technology is replacing “traditional” lighting solutions across corporate environments.

Through this blog, we shall first look at how AV solutions are driving sustainability. Secondly, we’ll discuss how the AV industry is prioritizing sustainability.

So, let’s dive in.

5 ways AV Technology is driving sustainability

Here are 5 ways in which AV solutions are enabling organizations to go green and reduce their carbon footprint:

1. Energy efficiency
Be it for video conferencing or virtual meetings, AV systems do consume a lot of energy. Through innovations, AV systems can reduce energy consumption. Additionally, the emergence of “intelligent” AV systems can optimize energy use with built-in features like automatic power shutdowns (when not in use) or energy-conscious lighting.

Some of the latest innovations include low-power LED projectors, smart lighting in home theatres, and low-energy audio systems.

2. Eco-friendly maintenance
Timely maintenance is necessary to maintain the long life and sustainability of any system, including AV systems. With intelligent support for eco-friendly maintenance plans, AV providers can help organizations can reduce environmental waste and increase the service life of their AV devices.

Here are some of the common eco-friendly maintenance practices:

• Conducting regular audits of energy consumption.
• Using connected IoT devices to monitor the use of AV systems.
• Upgrading to energy-efficient AV systems.
• Using smart “sensors” to monitor energy consumption.

3.Green office environment
With sustainable AV solutions, enterprises can integrate modern AV designs with natural office environments. A green (or eco-friendly) office environment typically includes elements like natural colours, cooling through proper air circulation, and sensitive lighting. Natural office designs are known to improve employee well-being and productivity.

Here are some of the best practices:

• Use of acoustic AV solutions that improve sound efficiency
• Proper location of AV systems in the office premises with regards to improved visibility and audio.
• Selecting the right type and size of the AV device.
• Suitably ambient room lighting for conference rooms hosting AV systems

4.Recycling
Electronic waste (or e-waste) is a leading challenge facing the AV industry. Across industries, there’s a growing transition towards recyclable plastics and eco-friendly materials. To minimize e-waste, AV equipment manufacturers are gradually adopting the use of:

• Recyclable or reusable materials in making AV equipment like projectors.
• AV devices that are easy to disassemble (after service life), thus enabling easy recycling or disposal.
• Sustainable AV systems with long life and low maintenance, thus reducing the need for constant repairs or upgrades.

5.Eco-friendly AV partners
Along with following eco-sensitive practices, companies must also partner with AV integrators that are equally environment-conscious. An eco-friendly AV partner can do much more than simply suggest energy-saving practices. They can work closely with companies and design environment-sustainable solutions. For instance, based on their industry experience, they can train employees to follow simple and effective eco-friendly practices in their daily work.

How the AV industry is prioritizing sustainability
At the Control Rooms Summit held in February 2024, industry analysts reiterated the importance of AI technology for the AV industry. Over 40% of participants were positive about the impact of AI, while only 4% expressed a negative perception.

Among the recent innovations, Sustainable AI is having a significant impact on energy consumption in the AV industry. By working with eco-sensitive AV partners, organizations are now implementing:

• Environmental protection by reducing waste and carbon footprint.
• Socially responsible business practices that consider business impact on employees, customers, and local communities.
• Compliance with environmental regulations, which promote long-term sustainability

Similarly, AI-powered video conferencing and screen sharing can improve team collaboration, irrespective of location and device. This goes a long way in eliminating (or minimizing) office travel, thus reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

Using automation solutions, AV industry players are also prioritizing environmental sustainability. Automation enables companies to centralize the control of all AV solutions. They have greater control over energy consumption when they can control all connected AV devices from a single interface. Through real-time data collection, AV teams can remotely monitor AV devices and perform on-time repairs to improve their working life.

Additionally, AV implementation companies are providing companies with a sustainable upgrade plan to install more energy-efficient devices. This enables companies to leverage the latest eco-friendly innovations, without major expenses or waste.

In summary
With eco-friendly AV solutions, organizations can demonstrate their social responsibility and deliver a “greener” environment for their employees. With the right AV solution partner, it’s much easier for enterprises to drive sustainability solutions.

With its wide range of audiovisual solutions, Resurgent AV Integrators is the right technology partner that can work across all your business functions. We are equally committed to implementing “green” AV solutions for all our global customers.

If you looking for an energy-efficient AV system, it’s time for you to book a free consultation with our team today.