10 Ways Projection Can Improve Your Sustainability

The attractions industry, which added US$51.6 billion to the global economy between 2015–2020, enriches society and culture in ways the world is beginning to fully appreciate in the wake of the pandemic. Yet there is still progress to be made in addressing the environmental cost of making magic happen.

As consumers demonstrate a preference for green products and services, sustainability is becoming a central part of the experiences we create.

PortAventura World, for example, is making waves as the world’s first carbon-neutral resort. Disney is making rapid progress towards its goal of becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2030. Others are investing in food waste and water recycling, renewable energy, and efficient appliances. In 2015, Universal Studios Orlando saved about 2.4 million kilowatt-hours of energy by switching to LED lighting.

With people motivated to get out and have fun as the world reopens, businesses are seeking ways to achieve high sustainability and secure a place in the industry’s recovery.

3. Less waste, greater reliability

Before the ascent of laser, projection meant keeping large inventories of parts, scheduling downtime for maintenance, and disposing of waste. Today, many DLP projectors feature airtight optical blocks and refined cooling systems that prevent dust ingress without the need for filters. Not only does this reduce waste and maintenance but it also enhances reliability in continuous applications.

While most brands offer some level of dust resistance, others are already looking to the next frontier: improving water and corrosion resistance to enable use in high humidity, marine, or mist environments.
 

4. Small + light = sustainable

While projectors are the most efficient path to immersive visuals on a grand scale, they can be a burden to transport and handle if the projectors are too heavy for installation crews to manage, therefore having a negative impact on the project’s sustainability.

In response, laser projectors have shrunk dramatically with some models 40% smaller than equivalent predecessors. As well as reducing the time, energy, and cost of system renewal, small and flexible projectors open an exciting world of spatial design possibilities in environments otherwise too small to accommodate a projector.

7. A user-friendly interface will save resources

How easy are your projectors to use? What resources can be saved with automated edge-blending? How efficiently can you monitor your devices off-site? Can you save time using NFC when there is no AC power available on site?

Attraction designers and installers return to certain brands not only for their imaging performance but also because the UX answers these questions, saving resources and making fleet management more sustainable in the long term.
 

8. Extend service life

If your space has dim lighting, projection at full brightness probably isn’t necessary. Choose a laser projector that includes energy-efficient ECO modes that extend service life beyond 20,000 hours. If you’re planning a multi-screen application, look for colour and brightness correction that can automatically sense changes to the images and make adjustments to keep the whole display uniform without periodic manual calibration.

In addition, some lenses have focus optimizers. These detect changes in content brightness or temperature and correct focus drift, keeping images sharp at all times.
 

9. No specified toxic substances

Choose an environmentally friendly projector that doesn’t use specified toxic substances such as mercury, lead, or halogenic flame retardants. Lamps can contain mercury and usually require special disposal, which can be a hassle. That’s another easy point in favour of laser.
 

10. A win for you, a win for the earth

Choose a technology partner with a strong environmental track record, a trusted reputation, and an ambitious vision for the future with respect to sustainability. You should feel confident your values align, and that your capital investment contributes indirectly to environmental sustainability on a global scale.

Your projectors will be in almost continuous service for a very long time. So, it’s vital you get the right advice before making a decision to maximize sustainability.