As the planet faces ongoing climate challenges, AV companies are doing their bit to ‘green’ their technology and fight an otherwise glum future. Anna Hayes finds out more.

Pandemics, war, supply chains, chip shortages, the Great Barrier Reef bleached again…it’s starting to feel like a 2020s version of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’.

A comparison that is, in this case, distinctly apt. This time two years ago, half of Australia was on fire – global warming is getting warmer and that’s one game we don’t want to win.

Every industry has its part to play and several members of the AV and technology industry are embarking on various projects and action plans to do their bit to alleviate their carbon footprints.

But as Kermit the frog once implored: it’s not easy being green.

The stats

E-waste is just one factor in this area but it’s a big one, and the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership works to collate statistics around this issue.

According to this organisation, Australia generated 554 kilotons (kt) of E-waste in 2018, with just 58kt of it formally collected and disposed of as e-waste. At the same time, 671kt of new technology was put on the market.

In ‘The Global E-waste Monitor 2020’ report, members of contributing organisations stressed that the way we produce, consume and dispose of e-waste is unsustainable.

They write: “Monitoring the quantities and flows of e-waste is essential for evaluating developments over time, and to set and assess targets towards a sustainable society and circular economy.”

In 2019, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons (Mt) with only 17.4% of it officially documented as having been properly collected and recycled. Devices get discarded in standard waste bins or, those which can be refurbished and reused are often shipped from high-income to low or middle-income countries, although there are challenges around the illegal shipping of e-waste that has been misclassified as ‘e-waste’.

“It is essential to substantially increase the officially documented 17.4% global e-waste collection and recycling rate, especially in view of the rapid growth of this waste stream, which is already projected to reach 74.7Mt by 2030,” the report states.

Green shoots

Audio company Sonos is one company that has nailed its colours to the mast on this issue, releasing an in-depth report on its sustainability objectives towards the end of last year.

Sonos’ director of policy and corporate social responsibility, Deji Olukotun says that in 2021 the decision was taken to step up efforts in this space.

“The climate crisis demands action. Every single office where we have employees has experienced extreme weather over the past couple of years and that makes this work feel real and urgent to all of us.”

When mapping the company’s global carbon footprint, Sonos found that the actual resourcing for and building of its products contributed counted for less than a quarter of the company’s carbon footprint. The biggest contributor, by far (75%), came from the energy consumed during each product’s lifecycle.

“In some ways, learning that energy consumption was the largest contributor to our emissions was a welcome discovery because it’s an area that we have more control over,” says Deji, adding that they are keen to offer “more options about energy use, like shutting down parts of their system while other parts are active, or being more intentional with speakers using voice assistants.”

As a result, Sonos has established a team dedicated to product energy efficiency, including updates that are backwards compatible with existing products.

“In financial year 2021, the average idle power across our product portfolio was 3.22W, a 15% decrease compared to financial year 2020. During this year, we developed more efficient hardware and software to create the most energy efficient speaker in our portfolio, Roam, our battery-powered ultraportable.”

Roam has two levels of power savings – idle state (product available on command) and sleep state which the product enters after 30 minutes. Sleep mode will be extended into all Sonos products from 2023.

“This renewed focus on efficiency will reduce the energy consumed by our products by 35% within the next decade, and 45% by 2040.”

Corporate social responsibility

Mount manufacturers Vogel’s is another company that is pushing hard in terms of making its workplaces and operations better for the world and the people living in it.

Vogel’s chief executive Gerdi Vogels recently said that making a profit doesn’t have to come at the expense of people and the environment – people, planet and profit needed to be in balance.

“Corporate social responsibility is not a non-committal task. We owe it to the youth of today and future generations. They want to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable world as well. To make ourselves more aware of this, we have to say it out loud. And that’s why we’ve launched the theme: Vogel’s. For Tomorrow.”

Epson is on the same wavelength here, saying that since its inception the goal has always been to create technology that enriches people’s lives and isn’t just “technology for technology’s sake”.

Bruce Bealby is the general manager of marketing at Epson Australia and he says that preserving nature and a pristine environment has always been at the heart of Epson’s culture.

“In 2008, there was an acknowledgement by the Epson board that launching products and developing technology cannot and should not only be in the pursuit of economic wealth. Since then, Epson’s environmental vision has been a critical component to the philosophy and growth strategy.”

Leading the way

Epson has a number of goals it wishes to hit before 2025 with a 100bn Yen (approximately $1.07bn AUD) investment supporting the four pillars of these goals.

These goals include decarbonisation; establishing a close resource loop; customer environmental impact mitigation; and the development of greener technology.

Bruce explains that all Epson facilities will use renewable energy by 2023, with the removal of greenhouse gases and incorporation of energy saving facilities wherever possible as the company aims for carbon free logistics.

In the areas of resources and customer impact, Bruce says: “Epson will use recycled materials in products and packaging, and we will refurbish and reuse where possible. We will also reduce the size and weight of products and minimise production waste.”

In addition, the company will pursue lower power consumption and longer product life, as well as the digitisation of printing with fewer consumables thus limiting the use of lifetime parts.

On the development side of things, the company is already using Dry Fibre technology which means they can recycle paper into paper and packaging with minimal use of water.

But, Bruce remarks, what’s most exciting is the company’s effort in developing technology to create Biomass.

“Biomass are substances that do not deplete natural resources and will degrade. It’s not hard to appreciate how this very exciting development could ultimately mean that we put more back to the environment than we take out.”

Vogel’s CSR commitments centre around People, Planet, and Profit, and the company admits that there is room for improvement in its work around Planet.

“We’ve already taken steps to reduce our CO2 footprint,” says Gerdi, pointing out the completely new, sustainable packaging concept for their TV brackets.

“We use 95% less ‘single-use plastics’ and all Styrofoam will be replaced by ‘paper pulp’. This makes the whole packaging recyclable.”

The company has also launched its first initiatives in making covers of biodegradable plastic and has seen some promising results. In addition, the company has switched to electric driving insofar as is possible.

Challenges to overcome

One of the biggest challenges for companies trying to do the right thing comes in the area of its supply chain where multiple players contribute different parts or components in a given product.

For Sonos, where supply chain emissions make up 19.5% of its carbon footprint, this is the biggest challenge as it does not own every detail of the supply chain although, Deji remarks, Sonos has cultivated strong, productive partnerships with its suppliers and is confident about achieving reduction goals.

But he stresses that current world challenges make things less clear on the whole.

“From component shortages, issues with shipping, entire factories closing down, and immense geopolitical issues, there are many reasons that companies will be experiencing challenges with their supply chain, and may end up resorting to less sustainable solutions, whether that be materials choices or air-freighting urgently needed supplies.”

He says prioritising good partnerships helps to strengthen social and environmental practices as well as reducing risk across the technology and supply chain.

“We also notice the effect of more companies wanting to do better, and as more companies demand more sustainable solutions, the tide is turning and sustainable production is becoming more achievable.

Fix it again tomorrow

Another challenge to be mindful of is that of changing customer behaviours, following a prolonged period of living in a world where the first hint of something breaking down consigns it to the scrapheap. There has been, if not a reality then a perception that things are not designed for longevity.

Deji acknowledges this fact and says that the industry does need to up its game in this regard.

“There’s strong and growing evidence that customers want more sustainable products. While it’s not an overnight shift, we believe the right behaviours are developing in this space.”

He adds that, generally speaking, Sonos customers want to keep using their chosen products, to the extent where, in a whole portfolio overview in 2020 the company found that over 90% of its products are still in active use with support still provided for older products.

However, he points out that products cannot last forever and a responsible pathway for their end of life has to be found.

“We have to think about circularity as well as longevity. So the materials we choose, the components we use, the design language we adopt and the software support we provide are all crucial elements of creating better solutions for our customers and for the planet.”

Fighting the good fight

To affect change, it’s acknowledged that big players need to buy into taking action and making a difference.

Epson feels that the absolute minimum commitment should be that companies target carbon neutrality or negativity, something it sees as a very achievable goal.

Sonos also agrees that the climate crisis demands an accelerated pace of innovation from all companies, including the need to work together, harness resources and forge meaningful partnerships to drive the greatest possible impact.

“Companies have to integrate sustainability across every aspect of the business. The climate crisis poses a serious threat and makes any sustainability initiatives all the more urgent.”

As Billy Joel says of that aforementioned fire: “We didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.”