The AV industry is responsible for a growing mountain of waste, and needs to take action now, according to SAVe (Sustainability in AV). It is “the first industry-wide non-profit organisation that’s bringing stakeholders together to take concerted action in achieving the UN’s 2030 sustainable development goals,” said Christina De Bono, its founder and president.
SAVe has been adopted as ISE’s first official sustainability partner, because ISE “saw these goals are very important for the industry to achieve”, she added. ISE 2023 marks the launch of SAVe internationally, and the response at the show has been excellent, with many companies wanting to get involved as sponsors or volunteers.
Debbie Williamson, partnerships and alliances co-chair, SAVe, added: “One of the things that resonated with us as integrators [De Bono and Williamson both run their on SI companies in the US] is that AV is a large contributor to the e-waste problem, with 59 million metric tonnes of e-waste generated in north America and Europe in 2019 alone,” the vast majority of which ends up in waste dumps. Even more horrifying, it is estimated that number has risen a further 20% since then.
SAVe has launched initiatives to help educate companies about the UN’s 17 goals and how to align their businesses with these. “We are past the time we should take action, but right now we have to,” stated Williamson.
Stand number: CS700 (Impact Lounge)
