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2009 Green Display Report: The Business Threats and Opportunities of Green Displays

Quick Facts

The Need:

Green-display technology, awareness, regulations and labeling have accelerated greatly in the last year, and technical advances are rapidly reducing power consumption. Regulatoryrequirements (such as RoHS and CEC) and voluntary labeling programs (such as Energy Star, EPEAT, and TCO) are changing the playing field on which displays and display products are designed, manufactured, marketed, and sold in fundamental ways.  Recycling efforts are expanding rapidly for e-waste – and displays are a key element of this waste stream. 

 So how do all of these factors impact the technology and business roadmaps for display developers?  A large new set of variables and relationships are being added to the already formidable complexities of making and selling displays and display-centric products.  And the purchasing decisions confronted by customers are getting more complex, too.

All of this is creating business opportunities and risks, starting with the decision on whether or not to climb on the green bandwagon to begin with.  Having climbed on the bandwagon, company executives and managers will have to think hard about how being on the bandwagon should affect their business practices and corporate messaging?  They will find that decisions about how and why they should market green displays are not simple ones.  These are critical and urgent issues, and this is the first report that addresses them from a comprehensive, industry-wide perspective with display technology as the focus.

Report Objective:

The report focuses on the green product and life-cycle characteristics of three application categories:

• Laptops
• Monitors
• TVs

These are the products receiving the most attention, and the products with the largest impacts on energy use and the eco-system.  The objective of this report is to formulate the key questions for the industry, and to answer them through our interview and analysis methodology.  We will also provide insight into the trends that are shaping the industry and identify the hurdles that must be overcome.  Finally, we will offer recommendation and calls to action needed to help the industry advance.

Highlights and Areas of Discussion:

• There are many possible definitions of a green display.  Any forecast for green laptops, monitors or TVs depends upon a definition of green.  Until this definition is agreed upon by the industry, a forecast is meaningless.  We explore many of these definitions in the report.  Among the defining elements are:
• Energy use.  We explore the trends and options.  Among the technologies contributing to reduce energy use are LED backlights, dynamic contrast, and proximity and ambient light sensors. Energy reduction in PDPs is coming via new cell structures and driving circuits, and OLEDs hold a lot of promise for the future.
• Manufacturing processes and designs that minimize the use of materials, energy, and resources.
• Transportation and packaging that minimizes the carbon footprint.
• Display recyclability -- both to comply with global mandates and to minimize costs to manufacturers and consumers.  Cradle-to-grave thinking will ease the pain of the coming era of e-waste recycling, and can even create business opportunities.
• The reasons behind the green display trend are complex and varied, and the motivation to be green depends upon where you are in the supply chain. 
• Panel makers, branders and vertically integrated product makers have different motivations.
• Green panel and component manufacturing can mean cost reductions.  What are the options, technologies and strategies?
• Good display design principles can reduce materials, manufacturing and transportation costs.  These principles can also lower the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions – other factors considered when measuring the green-ness of a display product.
• Is green a fad, a catch-all for good corporate citizenship, or has there been a fundamental change in attitude and business practices?
• How do regulations drive the corporate green culture and behavior?
• Can green displays be successfully marketed?
• How do companies approach establish green brands?
• Can green be sold successfully to consumers?
• Is this approach sustainable?
• What is most important in making the sale?
• Does the green display trend change the business model?
• How does the supply chain adapt?
• What is the impact on business models?
• The regulatory and labeling agencies are having a profound impact on display manufacturing and marketing behavior, and they are influencing consumer buying patterns.
• What are the roles of agencies like Energy Star, EPEAT, TCO, Eco-leaf and CEC?
• How are they impacting energy use?
• How are they impacting hazardous substances and emissions?
• How are they changing business practices?

View the complete table of contents

Methodology:
The technical, regulatory and market information in this report is based on multiple sources, including:

• Discussions with key people in the display supply chain, product developers and marketers, regulatory and labeling agencies, recycling agencies and companies
• Trade show visits
• Company visits
• News reports, company press releases and web site reviews
• Analysis of information and forecasts from industry experts

Using these sources, Insight Media’s analysts have surveyed the current status of the display industry, current display products, and display trends in the following areas: design; manufacturing; marketing; distribution and recycling; labeling; regulations; legislation and rule making; and emerging technologies.  In all analysis, primary emphasis has been placed on assessing the impacts of eco-sensitive and green concerns on the evolving display industry. 

Insight Media also hosted and organized the Green Display Expo in Washington, DC on Oct. 27.  This event featured speakers from all aspects of the green display ecosystem.  Information from this event was used to validate the findings of the report and augment information in certain areas.

Who Should Buy:

• Designers and manufacturers of laptops, monitors or TVs
• Participants in the value chain for the display or display-centric products industry
• Marketers and retailers of displays or display-based products
• Executives responsible for recycling and end-of-life product issues
• Regulators, regulatory compliance managers, and managers of labeling programs
• Investors looking for new opportunities or information to support due diligence

About the Authors:

Phillip Wright, Ph.D., is a highly experienced technical executive with background in semiconductor, electronic, optical, display and optoelectronic technology development leading to new products and businesses.  He founded WRT Associates to provide technical consulting and market analysis for emerging technologies and is collaborating with Insight Media in several areas.  Previously, he managed display technology at Motorola and was Founder and Director of Process Development and Device Manufacturing of Lytel Incorporated, a start-up optoelectronics firm.   Phil began his career in development at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ.  He holds a B.S. in Engineering from Purdue University; M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Ken Werner is a Flat Panel Display and Emerging Display Technology Expert with Insight Media.  He routinely serves as a consultant to brokers, analysts, members of the international press corps, and companies entering or repositioning themselves in the industry.  Previously, he served as Editor of Information Display, the display industry’s premier technical magazine from 1987 to 2005.  He regularly addresses technical and trade organizations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.  Ken holds a B.A. in Physics from Rutgers University; M.S. in Solid-state Physics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Deliverable:

This report comes as a PDF file for a single site license.

Pricing:

More Information: info@insightmedia.info

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