The sustainability of Digital Signage

Does printed communication still make sense in 2024? Or rather, the real question is: can we still afford it? Given the current climate crisis, the answer is no. Producing just one ton of paper costs us 15 trees, 270 kg of pollution, and 26,000 liters of water. It’s time for businesses to move toward complete digitalization of their internal and external communication. But is Digital Signage truly sustainable? Keep reading to find out.

Digital Signage: is sustainability real?

Paper accounts for 26% of all landfill waste. This highlights the significant role traditional advertising plays in contributing to waste and pollution.

While Digital Signage may not be the ultimate solution to climate challenges, it offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to printing tons of paper. Over the long term, it reduces environmental impact, making it an eco-friendly choice for managing communication, especially at scale.

This article will outline five reasons why screens and digital kiosks are more sustainable than flyers and brochures:

1. Energy Efficiency
2. Lower Update Costs
3. Durability
4. Remote Management
5. Smart Power Scheduling
6. Recyclability

Energy efficiency

Most modern professional monitors are designed to consume minimal energy. Nearly all models feature low-power standby modes and automatic brightness adjustment based on ambient light. This ensures optimal energy usage, lowers operating costs, and reduces environmental impact. In addition, some manufacturers adopt eco-friendly production processes, minimizing waste and promoting efficient resource usage.

Lower update costs

As mentioned earlier, Digital Signage eliminates expenses tied to printing and distributing physical materials.

Imagine launching a new marketing campaign, only to prioritize a last-minute flash sale a few days later. Updating static communication materials requires:

• Design overhauls: Graphic designers and copywriters must quickly rework content, incurring additional costs.
• Printing: Updated materials need to be printed, while the old ones are discarded, adding to waste.
• Repetition: This process repeats every time priorities shift, leading to continual resource waste.

With digital screens and kiosks, content updates are centralized. From a single control panel, changes can be implemented across all displays with just a few clicks. This allows for instant updates, including last-minute offers or error corrections, without wasting time, resources, or materials—resulting in a lower environmental footprint.

Durability

Posters, signs, and flyers exposed to weather and sunlight fade and deteriorate quickly, requiring frequent replacements. This generates additional costs and significant waste.
Digital Signage screens, however, are built to last. Outdoor screens, in particular, are engineered to withstand environmental factors like rain, wind, and sunlight. Their durability means fewer replacements and significantly reduced waste. When chosen wisely and matched to their environment, these displays require minimal maintenance—perhaps once every six months for outdoor models. This long lifespan saves both time and resources, benefiting both the economy and the environment.

Remote management

One of the features that makes Digital Signage environmentally friendly is remote management. All content—images, text, and videos—can be updated from a single dashboard and deployed simultaneously to all locations. This eliminates the need for physical travel to replace posters or billboards, reducing vehicle emissions and improving air quality. However, this benefit depends on widespread adoption of digital communication by businesses.

Smart power scheduling

Keeping a screen on 24/7 is unnecessary and wasteful. But what if the screen needs to be active before business hours?
Professional Digital Signage displays are equipped with programmable on/off scheduling systems. This reduces unnecessary power consumption and lowers the carbon footprint. Naturally, lower energy consumption also translates into reduced utility bills.

Recyclability

Monitors and kiosks, like any other technology, eventually face obsolescence. But how do they compare to paper? First, their lifecycle is far longer than that of a poster (years versus a week). Second, disposal: traditional communication materials are often non-recyclable due to adhesives, specialized inks, and chemical components, ending up in landfills. Conversely, Digital Signage screens, often made of acrylic and polycarbonate, undergo chemical recycling to safely break down their components. These materials can then be repurposed into furniture, coasters, or even pipes—reducing the need to extract virgin resources.

Is investing in sustainable Digital Signage worth it?

Sustainability is a central theme today. Businesses that show environmental responsibility are more likely to resonate with their audiences.

That said, simply digitizing communication doesn’t automatically make a company sustainable. Care must be taken to avoid “greenwashing.” Transitioning to digital communication should be accompanied by other efforts—big or small—to genuinely reduce environmental impact.

• Morally, it’s a responsibility we owe to the planet.
• Financially, adopting energy-efficient practices could help industries save up to $400 billion by 2030.

Switching from print to Digital Signage is one of those best practices, promoting greater sustainability by:

1. Eliminating printing and disposal costs associated with traditional communication.
2. Reducing energy consumption with features like brightness adjustment, programmable power scheduling, and high energy-efficiency ratings.
3. Cutting down travel-related emissions through centralized content management.

While Digital Signage requires a higher upfront investment compared to print materials, it offers numerous long-term benefits that impact every aspect of a business:

• Economically: Communication management costs decrease.
• Operationally: Processes like updates and distribution become streamlined and more efficient.
• Reputation-wise: The brand appeals to eco-conscious customers, fostering a stronger emotional connection.
• Environmentally: It’s a concrete step toward greater sustainability.

The conclusion is clear: investing in Digital Signage is not just a move toward modernity—it’s an essential step toward a more sustainable future.

Choose your Digital Signage