The world faces a dire climate crisis. In 2018, the United Nations warned that we have just 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe. As a result, discussions surrounding how businesses can increase their sustainability have become commonplace and sustainable digital signage has become a popular solution.

Digital signage can advertise, educate, inform, entertain, and alert, it has multimedia capabilities, and content can be created in one central location and displayed across multiple screens. With many benefits, digital signage is a valuable way for businesses to go green.

From reducing paper wastage and CO² emissions to providing a long-lasting communication solution, we explore 5 ways sustainable digital signage can help decelerate global warming.

1) Reduce Paper Wastage With Sustainable Digital Signage

Between 2001 and 2019, the world lost 386 million hectares of forest. This loss represents an almost 10% decrease in tree cover since 2000. Of global wood harvest, 42% goes towards making paper. Printing posters, flyers, bulletin board messages, and more, businesses are a prime culprit in wasting this paper; the average office worker uses an expected 10,000 sheets of paper per year.

Yet, most of this paper ends up in the bin and, subsequently, landfills, where its decomposition produces the environmentally damaging greenhouse gas methane. This result is unnecessary when posters aimed at consumers often fail to capture attention in a technology-driven society.

Unlike static signage, sustainable digital signage can communicate messages to target audiences and turn heads with multimedia features and high brightness. Externally, digital signage can increase sales, and internally, it can streamline business communication to increase employee productivity.

Turning to digital communication not only reduces deforestation and illegal logging but saves water too; it requires 50,000 litres of water to make 10,000 sheets of paper. To put this into perspective, just 20 litres of water could keep one person hydrated for ten days (based on the daily recommended amount).

Ultimately, sustainable digital signage is a greener, cleaner, and even cheaper alternative to mass paper usage, helping save the planet.

2) Decrease Power Usage and CO² Emissions

Technology has evolved rapidly in the last few decades. TV screens have transformed from heavy, energy-guzzling boxes to slick, efficient models. In fact, the development of modern flat screens reduced TV electricity consumption by 60%.

By going digital, your business can decrease its power usage and CO² emissions. LED and LCD screens have a low energy consumption; if working at 80 watts for twelve hours a day at $0.12 kWh, the screen (subject to variables) would cost only $3.50 a month to power! A lot less than paper and far more beneficial to your business.

Additionally, digital screens have brightness control settings, meaning content is always visible, even in direct sunlight. Yet, on darker days or at night, if not scheduled into "sleep mode", the screen brightness automatically reduces, saving energy and power usage.

With consistently visible content situated in the right location, sustainable digital signage can capture your target audience and increase conversion rates while reducing CO² emissions.

3) Adopt Long-Lasting Sustainable Digital Signage Screens

Paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills. It is a temporary and unsustainable method of communication. Whenever a message changes, new posters or handouts need to be designed, reprinted, and replaced. Digital signage, on the other hand, is a long-lasting solution that can be easily updated using digital signage software, with changes visible on-screen immediately.

Significantly, even if the plugs are switched on 24/7, many screens now have a lifespan of around 100,000 hours (over 10 years). This fact exposes the sustainability of digital signage and its benefits for both the environment and business.

When your digital signage hardware needs replacing, its components can be recycled and used for new products. Alternatively, if your business owns old TV screens, these can be linked to a new media player to become digital signage. This option recycles previously unusable hardware, extending its lifespan, and saves money.

4) Shrink The Use Of Unsustainable Materials

Each time someone prints out a static form of communication for your business, they use and waste more than just paper. Plastic, ink, chemicals, and more all contribute to the lifecycle of printed communication.

Sustainable digital signage reduces the need for these resources, meaning less unsustainable materials and toxic liquids will end up in the landfills and left to contaminate the soil, water, and air.

As just one example, 375 million empty ink cartridges end up in landfills every year, accounting for 11 every second. Cartridge case plastics are made from polymer and take 450-1000 years to decompose. Moreover, if a household of 4 emits 1200kg of CO² per month, a manufacturer making 200,000 cartridges per month uses the same amount of power that fuels 500 average homes.

This fact accentuates how cutting paper consumption saves the environment in more ways than one. By reducing ink usage, both waste and carbon emissions are minimised, creating a more sustainable planet for the future.

5) Implement Green-Powered Energy Solutions

While some businesses may have reservations about the power usage of digital signage, evidence demonstrates its power-saving, eco-friendly benefits. Yet, for those still wary, sustainable, green-powered energy solutions can power digital display screens.

Solar power-energy is a green-powered source of energy rising in popularity in the digital signage industry. Solar panels can be installed and connected to the digital screen to convert sunlight into electricity, allowing your screen to run on green energy.

Ultimately, it pays to be green. Research has found that consumers are 58% more likely to buy a company's products or services when they know the organisation pays attention to its impact on society and the environment. Studies even reveal that consumers will spend up to 20% more on environmentally sound products or services. These facts highlight how going green with digital signage can simultaneously meet your business sustainability goals and help you stand out from competitors.

As glaciers melt, sea levels rise, deforestation increases, and animals lose their homes, digital signage solutions decelerate global warming whilst reducing business costs and increasing conversion rates.

This article was written by Umesh Agarwal from TechBullion and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.