UK’s EcoVista Among First AV Integrators To Get Carbon Neutral Certification

July 23, 2024 by Dave Haynes

Sustainability and the concept of green signage are still something of a “Yeah, whatever” in North American digital signage and pro AV circles, but they’re major topics and issues across the pond in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Consider news from England, where LED display integrator EcoVista has announced its certified carbon neutral status, the first to get that in the UK and among the first, period, among AV industry system integrators.

The company, launched just last year, put environmental responsibility at the core of its business, partnering with the sustainability certification organization Planet Mark and implementing what it describes as “robust carbon tracking and offsetting measures” across  operations and client projects.

From PR:

“Sustainability has been a driving force for EcoVista from day one,” says Dave Neale, managing partner of EcoVista. “We recognized the significant environmental impact of our industry and were determined to lead the way in reducing carbon emissions. Achieving carbon neutral status is a proud moment for our team and a testament to the hard work we’ve put in over the past year.”

Through detailed embodied carbon reporting and operational carbon monitoring, EcoVista has been able to track over 170 tons of carbon across its business and client projects over the past 12 months. Clients including JCDecaux, Open Media, Progressive Outdoor, London Lites and Limited Space have all been onboarded to EcoVista’s carbon tracking software, enabling them to make informed decisions to reduce the environmental impact of their projects by offsetting their carbon footprint.

Carbon can be offset through verified Gold Standard offsetting schemes, such as the Cookstoves Project that reduces the use of wood and carbon emissions by 40% for coffee farmers in Ethiopia. Over the next 12 months, EcoVista aims to track and offset all its projects, supporting other initiatives.

Kerrie Cooper, EcoVista’s operations director: “By providing clients with robust, auditable data on their carbon footprint, we are empowering them to deliver their projects in a more sustainable way and, at the same time, sharing this information with supply chain partners to improve the sustainability of their products. We’re committed to continually improving our processes and inspiring others in our industry to take a similar approach to drive real change.”

Sustainability initiatives are front and center for larger opportunities in Europe, with language baked in, up front, in tenders and RFPs. And they are much more on people’s minds over there because of Ukraine, energy availability and costs. In Canad and especially the US, not so much.

Top Photo: Sean Morrough (L), David Neale (R)