Going green in the security industry: Two key trends shaping a more sustainable future

Sustainable development has universally become a top priority, and transitioning to a net-zero world is a major challenge. Net-zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, and a growing coalition of countries led by the United Nations, have set far reaching targets that cover about 76% of global emissions. That includes China, and its "dual carbon" goal to see its national CO² emissions peak before 2030 and then to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In the security industry, quick and decisive action is needed to ensure that we do our best toward meeting climate targets and creating a more sustainable future.

To achieve this end, security industry players are taking a number of new initiatives that can make a positive difference and two key trends have emerged. First, companies are striving to develop products that are more sustainable – made of more durable materials, minimizing the need for replacement or repair and more energy efficient. Second, they are paying more attention to making manufacturing processes as sustainable as possible in terms of energy consumption and materials used.

The good news here is that technological advancements are equipping manufacturers with more sustainable products and processes than ever. In particular, advancements in AI (artificial intelligence), the Internet of things (IoT), and big data have led to a more advanced and intelligent society, as well as more sustainable manufacturing processes and products. The following sections outline in more detail the two major trends – production and processes – emerging in the security industry to enhance sustainability.

1) Green Production: Creating more sustainable products

The first move towards a greener output for security manufacturers lies in the way of new research and development (R&D) innovations, focusing more effort on reducing the carbon footprint of their products and technologies while maintaining quality and durability. As an example, great strides are being made in reducing data storage energy consumption.

Security manufacturers are also rolling out products with longer life expectancies, products made of recyclable materials and packaging, and products powered by renewable energy. Each of these initiatives reduces waste and emissions. For example, the solar-powered camera demand has increased in recent years due to its well-established effectiveness at using the sun's limitless clean energy.

The solar-powered camera demand has increased in recent years due to its well-established effectiveness at using the sun's limitless clean energy.

The solar-powered camera demand has increased in recent years due to its well-established effectiveness at using the sun's limitless clean energy.

The "all-in-one" product-design concept has also gained traction in the security market as it combines multiple functions into a single device, which is beneficial for reducing production materials, accessories, and power consumption. Using 3D technology to create digital prototypes is also increasing in popularity, since it reduces waste in materials and resources formerly used for prototypes during product development. Through technology-based innovations, greener designs will deliver both a lower-carbon product to customers as well as help them reduce their carbon footprint during use.

2) Green Operation: Implementing sustainable manufacturing processes

Security manufacturers are also adopting more environmentally-friendly practices in their daily manufacturing and operations to align with local laws, regulations and policies to reduce carbon emissions. More and more companies in a variety of industries have set medium-to-long-term goals for environmental management, spanning from lower carbon production, efficient water use, and waste and chemical management, to greener office environment transformations. ISO 14001-compliant manufacturers may boost their qualifications by reviewing their production process and auditing suppliers regularly to create a sustainable cycle of operations and production procedures.

In becoming more eco-friendly, manufacturers look for ways to apply clean technologies in their production lines. This will reduce the discharge of hazardous substances, such as wastewater and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), minimizing their negative impact on the environment.

On the operations side, green practices include encouraging paperless offices, choosing energy-reducing systems, and employing recycling systems in the move toward energy conservation, consumption reduction, and environmental protection.

In sum, as low-carbon initiatives pervade our global communities, the security industry can take many well-known opportunities to promote sustainable development by producing low-carbon and energy-efficient products, and operating more sustainable manufacturing processes. Many of these practices can also be referred from manufacturers in other industries who have already explored new avenues for cleaner operations.

Hikvision is always striving to enhance its care and consideration for the environmental, optimize the use of resources, reduce pollutants, and explore low-carbon technologies in its operations and technological innovations. To learn more about Hikvision' commitment to sustainability, please visit our website and check our ESG report.

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Going green in the security industry: Two key trends shaping a more sustainable future