With their press release of February 3, 2022, Acuity Brands has once again shown their commitment to improving sustainability and the North American market.
The company’s plan is to replace paper installation instructions with scannable QR code instructions, which is expected to save 15 million sheets of paper, or 1500 trees, a year. According to the U.S. Forest Service, one tree may provide a daily supply of oxygen for up to four people. Over the course of a year, a full-grown tree may absorb 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere with oxygen being the by-product. With the cut down of paper sheet manufacturing and printing, it is hoped that the total reduction may reach 423,00 pounds a year.
This is all part of Acuity Brands’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program “EarthLIGHT”. From the Acuity Brands’ website, “EarthLight is a central tenet of our strategy and reflects our comprehensive approach around ESG topics. Through EarthLIGHT, we improve our performance, increase transparency, and better highlight our results on numerous ESG priorities.”
As a former electrical apprentice, I am fully aware of the frequency of misplaced or lost installation instructions. While I cannot find any confirmation that the QR codes will be on the product, as opposed to the packaging, the reference in the press release that products may last for decades suggests it will be the former, which will assist later in the product’s life-cycle for maintenance.
“We’re always looking for innovative solutions to serve our customers better and positively impact our planet,” said Trevor Palmer, President, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls. “Once we calculated the benefits of using QR codes and how it would change our environmental footprint, going digital was the obvious decision.”
The complete list of Acuity Brands’ products that are going digital can be found here.