How can security contribute to sustainability?

There is undoubtedly a worldwide move to ensure the built environment is greener. This is impacting not only construction or modification of structures to be environmentally responsible, sustainable, and resource-efficient, but also the products and systems deployed in these buildings. There are now certification and rating systems to measure the environmental impact of buildings, the three most dominant being - BREEAM, LEED and HQE. Not all elements of these rating systems are applicable to the security industry, but we have moved a long way on from the days of RoHS and WEEE compliance. The security industry now has an increasing obligation to look at the overall impact of our products to ensure environmental compliance, resource efficiency, and sustainability. Being truly sustainable starts at the design stage but needs to be continued throughout the security lifecycle to ensure our industry plays its part in this whole vital initiative.

The best security solutions extend beyond the security team to benefit the environment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) used to detect potential road incidents, such as obstructions or wrong way drivers, for example, ensures that traffic flows smoothly, reducing emissions as a result. Video-based parking solutions can direct drivers to the nearest available space, eliminating long queues, waiting times and emissions. Video footage and analytics can reveal a lot about road usage. City leaders and planners can then widen roads, create bus and cycle lanes, and pedestrianise areas based on these insights — making city living more sustainable. Key to these sustainable initiatives is the data that makes insight possible. Dashboards that display data from camera and sensor data (for example, people counting, which informs how heating or air conditioning systems are set and adjusted) ensure managers have immediate access to the data they need, so as to make their buildings and cities more sustainable. 

For the security industry and specifically, those involved throughout the architectural hardware chain, boundaries must continually be pushed. Architectural hardware is a critical security element in buildings and when you consider the built environment and the construction sector account for 38% of the world’s carbon emissions, more must be done. From a manufacturing perspective, it’s essential to review the lifecycle of your product. By focusing on product efficiency and innovation, R&D teams can improve the durability and long-term performance of hardware, resulting in fewer replacements across a building’s lifecycle and with that, less environmental waste. Packaging is also a vital component to consider. At Consort, we are aiming to improve our carbon footprint by eliminating all plastic packaging across our range of products by the end of 2022. Collectively, it’s time for everyone to step up, because when it comes to our environment, it’s never right to stand still.

Organisations around the world are joining the race to net zero, and it’s up to the security industry to support their mission, while delivering safe and secure environments. As such, it’s critical that security providers prioritise sustainability, both for their customers and within their own business. On the customer side, this means aligning data-powered security systems with forward-thinking sustainability. For instance, it’s now considered best practice to integrate access controls with building systems like HVAC and lighting to reduce energy consumption in unused spaces. Internally, security providers must ‘walk the walk’ and set their own public environmental targets, which can include reducing operational emissions or investing in green product research and development. With the building sector accounting for almost 40% of global emissions, the industry has a responsibility to reimagine security to support a healthy planet.