Sustainability has been on the mind this past month as Earth Day provided a time to reflect on our human impact on the environment and ways we can curb some of those effects. We wanted to hear about how your companies are addressing sustainability and what efforts you think are making a difference in the AV industry. We also hosted a LAVNCH & LEARN about sustainability in AV in partnership with Commercial Integrator and Sustainability in AV (SAVe), an industry-wide U.S.-based organization bringing stakeholders in the AV field together to take concerted action to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. You can watch the event on demand here.

In our temperature check survey, we asked readers whether or not their company has a sustainability plan. This might include goals to reduce waste, overall carbon footprint or even improving office energy and water efficiency.

Almost two-thirds of respondents answered yes, while 22% were unsure and 13% answered no. Tim Alevizos, a SAVe board member, said sustainability plans are just the right thing to do to be a good citizen of the planet. He said it can also really benefit business by improving brand equity and generating new clients.

“It’s not always easy for companies to implement sustainability practices,” he said. “The first thing you have to do is achieve a company-wide consensus on what’s doable. You need buy-in. It’s going to help if you focus on sustainability practices that align with your business model.”

We were also curious about steps our readers’ companies were taking to reduce their carbon footprint. From e-waste recycling programs to internal sustainability committees to sustainability certifications, there are so many ways for companies to reduce their impact on the environment.

Alevizos said all of these initiatives are a step in the right direction. He thinks having an internal sustainability committee is really effective in creating a company-wide movement towards sustainable goals.

“One of the big impediments to taking action, however, is a simple lack of knowledge about what to do, and how to do it,” he said. Your internal sustainability committee/team can help lead that change.”

The AV industry is also a huge contributor to e-waste and Alevizos believes the industry needs to be responsible for minimizing that waste and handling it responsibly through e-waste recycling programs like SAVe: A Second Life.

The last question we asked in our survey was about initiatives the AV industry as a whole can undertake to become more sustainable. Opportunities for investment, collaboration and regulation are all possible ways the industry can move towards sustainability.

Some of our readers also had other suggestions like embracing fair trade regulations, providing incentives for developing more sustainable products and a more streamlined recycling program for unusable products.

Alevizos said he thinks education is the first step towards developing infrastructure to support a more sustainable industry.

“Something else we hope to see in the future is greater organization not only within the AV industry, but between the AV industry and other industries and entities,” he said.

The AV industry has a lot to work towards to achieve a more sustainable future but by working together we can continue to innovate while protecting the planet for generations to come.