Charles Tremlett.
Charles Tremlett, Director at Media That Moves Network & Running Boards
The digital Out-of-Home (OOH) industry is rapidly expanding, yet it is wilfully ignoring one of the most pressing challenges of our time: sustainability. Despite the availability of technology that could drastically reduce its environmental footprint, the sector remains stuck chasing bigger and brighter screens at the expense of energy efficiency. This isn’t just a missed opportunity - it’s a failure that risks alienating clients, regulators, and consumers alike.
I’m not what you’d call a “greenie,” but when I started working with digital LED Out-of-Home (OOH) screens a decade ago, I was shocked by how much energy they consumed. A single large screen could use enough electricity in a day to charge more than 8,000 smartphones. At the time, I just accepted it and focused on visuals and impact.
It wasn’t until 2019, when we began trialling solar-powered billboards, that I started asking tougher questions about power use and efficiency. Even modest improvements in energy consumption could make a meaningful environmental difference. But making digital billboards greener turned out to be harder than expected.
After the pandemic, I visited LED screen manufacturers across Shenzhen, the global hub of display production. Not one major supplier offered solar-compatible screens. Worse still, none showed interest in developing them. The industry obsession with resolution had completely overshadowed sustainability.
So, we looked elsewhere. In 2023, we partnered with a smaller manufacturer that recognised the opportunity others were ignoring. Together, we developed screens that are now 50 percent more energy-efficient than most of what’s currently available. In 2024 and 2025, further improvements brought energy use down enough for fixed digital billboards to be powered entirely by solar.
This isn’t hypothetical. Formats once considered too energy-hungry are now capable of operating with zero emissions. Solar-powered mobile billboards are already active on roads, and newer electric-powered formats are on the horizon. These are real, working alternatives—no longer just prototypes.
Of course, energy efficiency is only part of the conversation. Smarter targeting also plays a role. Using real audience data - age, gender, interests, and buying behaviour - campaigns can be designed to reduce media wastage and environmental impact, without compromising reach or effectiveness.
Let’s be clear: no operator is flawless, and legacy formats still exist. But the real issue is the lack of urgency from the top end of the market. The companies with the scale and budgets to lead are the same ones dragging their feet. Energy efficiency shouldn’t be treated as a future aspiration. It should already be the industry standard.
OOH continues to grow in spend, scale, and innovation. But if sustainability remains on the sidelines, it won’t be long before clients, regulators, or consumers step in to do what the industry won’t.
It’s not a question of capability. The technology exists. The only thing missing is the will to act.