New Display Marketing Tech Combats Pollution

It’s no secret that the technology behind LED screens is always advancing, and much is made of the energy efficient nature of these kinds of display. But now one organisation has taken the green credentials of LED technology to the next level.

The Drum reported on the steps that Urban Vision has taken to improve the environment not only from a visual perspective with its striking advertising, but from a health perspective too, specifically by tackling air pollution.

It has developed a “unique pollution combating material”, working alongside Italian startup Anemotech to create “The Breath”, an LED screen that cleans the air. The publication describes the material as “groundbreaking” because of its ability to purify air.

Given that many LED billboards are close to roads and in the heart of large urban conurbations that are known to be hotspots for air pollution, the applications for this latest technology are significant.

“The Breath uses nano-molecular technology and a city’s natural air flow to remove harmful pollutants such as nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates from the atmosphere,” the publication explained.

You may be wondering just how much a billboard would be able to filter, but the magazine points out that, over the course of a year, ten square metres of this material can absorb a significant amount of pollution – the equivalent to that produced by 13,650 petrol vehicles, or 5,475 diesel cars.

Cities like London that struggle to keep their air pollution levels under control could take advantage of this latest innovation in LED billboard technology.

According to London Air, central London tends to be one of the most polluted places in the UK and the city regularly fails to comply with the legally binding targets on air quality set by the EU. The main pollutants found in the air here are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, particles and sulphur dioxide.

The Greater London Authority points out that approximately 50 per cent of the city’s air pollution comes from road transport, with 40 per cent of this generated by diesel vehicles.

It is estimated that air pollution costs the city’s economy £3.7 billion, with the city undertaking a number of initiatives to improve the situation. These include introducing an ultra-low emission zone, and investing in London’s bus fleet to remove diesel models and make those that are used as green as possible.

Just imagine what other improvements to air quality could be made if the city invested in these pollution-combating billboards at its busiest junctions and along its most congested roads.

This isn’t the first time that billboards have been linked to air pollution. Earlier this year, Branding.news highlighted a campaign run in Thailand by Pantene. The hair product brand created a giant hairy billboard, equipped with an air pollution sensor, that then shed hair as air pollution increased.

The image of a full head of hair gradually went bald over the course of ten days, designed to highlight the impact that air pollution has on hair loss – as well as to promote Pantene’s hair fall control products.