Jun 5, 2015
5 environmental facts about Barco medical displays
HEALTHCARE - MEDICAL DISPLAYS - INVESTORS 2 min read
Today is World Environment Day – a day of engagement, awareness and action. At Barco, we’re passionate about how improvements in technology drive improvements in health outcomes, but we don’t want that to be at the cost of the wider environment or our communities. We work hard to reduce the environmental impact of our technology at all stages of the product lifecycle , from initial concept and manufacture to recycling, and we’re proud to take the lead in sustainable technology practices. Here’s how.
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Clever design
Reducing the environmental impact of displays isn’t just about turning them off at night, although that is important! Ensuring a product has the highest environmental credentials starts with its concept and design. Due to high luminance levels, medical displays can be energy intensive. However, improvements in the design of Barco medical displays have resulted in a 50% to 75% jump in efficiency, greatly reducing energy usage.
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Picking pieces responsibly
Don’t forget about the display components – the mining and disposal of minerals can be hugely impactful. Our commitment to best practice starts at the drawing board – as we design new technology and displays we actively look to reduce the quantity of materials used, as well as researching newer options – which either have less of an impact when mined, or have other benefits, e.g. are easy to recover and recycle, are lighter and so reduce impact of transportation.
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Partners in supply
We also work with our partners to develop best practices for manufacturing, around environmental impact and sustainability, as well as labor practices. Our Supplier Sustainability Program, for example, encourages suppliers to share environmental information within the supply chain and phase non-compliant or at-risk components out of products.
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Recovery & recycling
And it’s not just at the drawing board that environmental factors are important. As products come to the end of their life, recycling them can be difficult. Barco displays are designed to be easily recyclable – easy to dismantle displays, higher concentration of recyclable materials and less waste to be disposed of.
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Ready for the future
Importantly, Barco goes above and beyond what is required today in terms of environmental standards. Purchasers can be confident that their systems are future-proof, and won’t be rendered obsolete by new environmental regulations.
In summary, innovation is key to our sustainable development strategy, ensuring technology, and the practices and processes that build them, create the smallest environmental footprint possible and contribute to sustainable development. We’re also planning a consultation process with our stakeholders – we want to know what their concerns are around environmental practices and what we can do to support them.
Yes, we’re proud to say sustainability has become part of our DNA.