The time is now
On November 20th, 2022, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. This raised a few eyebrows due to the amount of carbon emissions it took to fly out world leaders to the Egyptian coastal city.
In November 2022, COP27 took place in Egypt and a net zero goal for 2050 was agreed
But a very important matter was agreed upon at COP27. Parties agreed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires rapid and committed reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, with around 200 countries all invited to give their input with the goal of them all reaching net zero by 2050.
So, you can see the importance of being a sustainable business in today’s world. A modern day signage company needs to have sustainable practices at the forefront of everything it does.
Putting profit before the planet is no longer acceptable, and with plenty of ways to be sustainable, this means businesses can start to make a big difference.
To reverse the damage, the time to act is now. Implementing eco-friendly solutions and setting goals to reduce carbon emissions are just a few things a signage company can do to be more sustainable. Focusing on the use of renewable materials in sign-making can have a positive impact.
For example, PVC or other types of plastics can take over 100 years to biodegrade and contain toxic additives which can be harmful to consumers. But more eco-conscious materials like wood or polypropylene are much more friendly to the planet, with many businesses starting to see their overall potential for use.
January 28th, 2023 marks International Reducing C02 Emissions Day, with the reduction of C02 emissions needing to be the top priority for businesses as the world looks to change its ways.
It’s never too late to change, and if you like the sound of being sustainable, then the following businesses offer some tangible examples of what can be achieved within the world of sustainability.
The drivers of change
One of those drivers is Applelec, a trade supplier of signs, displays, and lighting for over 20 years. The company dedicates immense levels of time and detail to its craft, which includes everything from displays to LED lighting solutions for some of the biggest brands in the world.
O Factoid: From its Yorkshire home, Applelec has been manufacturing products for the signage industry for over 20 years O
Michael Crotch, head of Applelec’s signage division, says that when operating in a high waste industry, manufacturers have a responsibility to look both inwards and to supply chains to see what more they can be doing, as the choices they make directly affect the choices of consumers.
I think as manufacturers we have a responsibility to look both inwards and to our supply chains to see what more we can be doing”
Crotch explains: “This year more than any, we have noticed more affordable, environmentally friendly materials being developed by our suppliers, which is due to increased demand, as well as improved technology and manufacturing techniques.
“Prior to this, as much as people wanted to choose the ‘eco’ option, the cost of doing this was a little out of reach. With more competitive options, it allows manufacturers to create more affordable products, which in turn makes sustainability a more realistic option for many, and if we can continue to balance cost with sustainability, it naturally makes the sustainable choice the best choice.”
On Applelec’s journey to sustainability it has reached many milestones, with one coming very recently when it was announced a winner of the Made in Britain Sustainability Award.
Crotch says: “Although we have been mindful of our business sustainability for a number of years, we always knew we could be doing more. Inspired by the structure of the Earthshot prize, we developed and implemented our ECO pledge initiative in January 2022.
"This takes our core four focuses: nature, climate, waste, and manufacturing, and challenges the Applelec team to pool their collective talents, to create tangible change within the business and the industry.”
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According to Crotch, the positive impact of this pledge has fundamentally changed the mindset within Applelec to the point that sustainability, its ECO product range, and its ECO pledge is now an integral part of its strategy for growth.
Crotch says that the results of the ECO pledge initiative have exceeded the company’s expectations, and this was recently recognised by the Made in Britain community, where Applelec won an Impact Award for ‘Employee Engagement Campaign of the Year’ for its ECO pledge.
A lightbulb moment
The Applelec journey to sustainability has been aided by plenty of creativity along the way, where the company has had to start thinking outside of the box to produce the results it wants.
The result was Applelec’s ECO Lightbox range, which uses recycled wood pulp backing instead of Foamex, making it a sustainable option to choose. The device is also considerably lighter, halving the weight of a standard lightbox, which brings with it many benefits, including the cost of shipping to application possibilities.
The Applelec ECO Lightbox exceeds the dc 005 testing by more than 18%
“This is just the start for Applelec and our ECO range. Sustainability is not a passing phase, it is integral to the world’s future, and we know that everyone must play their part, especially those at the top of the supply chain,” Crotch says, adding: “The choices we make as manufacturers directly impact the sustainability of our customers, and we are acutely aware of this.
“This is why our goal is to design environmentally friendly alternatives for as many of our products as we can, whilst using this opportunity to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible within sustainable signage and lighting products.”
As part of this, Applelec is offering customers the opportunity to eco-engineer their designs, with sustainable swaps, whether fully recycled and recyclable acrylic, to recycled plastic bottle skins and recycled wood pulp backings. Customers can pick and choose sustainable materials suitable for their project spec.
Being a sustainable business is becoming an absolute must if you want to be credible in the signage industry. But that’s not to say it’s an easy task, with the latest cost of living crisis making it even harder for the average business to buy materials, machinery, and manpower.
The cost of producing pretty much everything is rising, and it can be easy to take shortcuts and not really think about what impact that would have on the environment. But know this, those little things do have an impact, and you should always be mindful of every decision you make when striving to be sustainable.
Crotch agrees: “I think in such times it’s easy to default to the attitude of cutting back on sustainability to save costs. However, through our own product development, we have seen first-hand the benefits good sustainable design can have, not just on the environment but on consumer costs too.
“Carefully choosing your illumination options is one example. A highly energy-efficient, high lumens per watt, advanced technology LED with extended warranties is a savvy investment.
This is because the technology provides the same brightness for less LEDs (saving on materials and production processes), which can save you as much as 30% on running costs, which in the current energy crisis is a massive advantage to businesses.”
Working together on missions like this should always be strived for because, after all, collaborative thinking leads to more change, and this has been the case with Applelec and its partnership with the non-profit company interest company JUST ONE Tree.
The organisation aims to reverse biodiversity loss and remove CO2 from the atmosphere through strategic tree planting across the globe. Having already planted 100 trees, Applelec has pledged to plant a further tree for every order it receives from its eco-friendly signage and lighting ranges.
Planting trees is a popular way for businesses to offset their impact on the environment
“Our partnership with JUST ONE Tree is really building momentum, and the team at Applelec are eager to make the most of our tree planting scheme,” Crotch explains.
“After looking at several potential partners, JUST ONE Tree stood out to us for how it maximises on donations to make the biggest impact it can. Its strategic projects hire and train local community members to plant native trees and care for them through to maturity.
This not only educates and alleviates extreme poverty but positively impacts areas where deforestation has been devastating.”
Lead by example
If lasting change is to happen, then it can’t just come from one direction in the industry. It needs to come across all fronts. Whether that be going PVC-free or using recycled acrylics, many different avenues can be explored.
Plastic may be cheap, but it’s far from cheerful. Overall, companies should be trying to divert to more traditional methods such as using timber, metal, or even glass. The choice is very much in the hands of the business, from using solar energy to making a promise to be carbon neutral – it’s the small steps that help add to the bigger conversation.
One company wanting to make that difference is Embed Signage, a digital signage software company that began as a concept back in 2014 and launched as a Limited company in 2016. Since then it has grown year after year without fail, and all with zero external investment.
This organic growth has led the company to work with a customer base that includes big names such as Krispy Kreme, Wembley Park, Danone, WaFd Bank, The Very Group, Selfridges, and many more.
Drew Harding, sales and marketing lead of Embed Signage, says: “We believe that sustainability is vitally important for any business. Ultimately, we all share the same planet, and we all have an impact on the world no matter what we do.
“So, we have a choice about the impact we have. Do we want it to be positive or negative? Do we want to put our heads in the sand and focus solely on the narrow-minded view of profit only, no matter the fallout?
"Of course we don’t! At Embed Signage, we are consciously aware of the impact our business has on the world and we ensure sustainability plays a critical role in all our business decisions.”
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The process of evolving is key for businesses becoming aware of their impact on the environment. Whether that’s on a local or global scale, everything must be taken into consideration. Quite frankly, these conversations wouldn’t have been had 20 years ago.
As the sector becomes more aware of the importance of looking after the planet, it’s important for companies to continue to evolve and work towards methods of sustainability that will help the planet and not hinder it.
Speaking on Embed Signage’s progress, Harding says: “A few years back, we started doing ad hoc carbon offsetting, but in recent years we’ve really focused on our business impact in terms of sustainability and understanding the wider impact of the entire digital signage ecosystem that we’re intrinsically connected to.
“Fundamental changes to the way our workforce operates as well as the infrastructure our software is developed upon have all been undertaken.
"We’ve looked at our underlying technology and have put in place changes to not only improve the security and efficiency of our software but also to optimise and align these elements with our sustainability objectives.”
One example given by Harding is that Embed’s technology operates on infrastructure that diverts 78% of waste from landfills; uses 100% renewable energy to operate; utilises hardware that operates at 2x more efficiency than a typical enterprise data centre; and is operating at 1.1 Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).
“There is a direct and indirect impact that we have as a digital signage software business, and we made a conscious decision that we wanted to operate positively in terms of our impact on the world around us,” Harding says.
“As well as sustainability being a core part of our decision-making process, we’ve also implemented initiatives that not only contribute towards the planting of trees to cleanse the environment and regenerate local communities but funding projects that meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
In the past 12 months, Embed Signage has funded the planting of over 90,000 trees and contributed to 20 projects across the world, such as methane gas capturing, forest preservation and cultivation, a variety of renewable energy sources, and transportation efficiency improvements.
“The overall sustainability impact of these projects is very important to us, so they have a wider positive impact such as climate action, jobs, and economic growth; provide quality education, gender equality; are good for health, and more,” Harding concludes.
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