The Environmental Benefits of Choosing Used Broadcast Gear for Live Event Broadcasts

With sustainability becoming an increasingly pressing issue, event production companies across all industries have begun assessing their environmental impacts and looking for ways to “green” their operations. When planning your next live broadcast, one simple yet impactful eco-friendly shift you can make is opting for gently used broadcast equipment over brand new gear.

As leading suppliers of new and pre-owned professional video equipment, we at Allied Broadcast Group have seen firsthand the major environmental savings that come with buying quality used gear for broadcasting sports, concerts, conferences, graduations, theater performances, houses of worship, and other live events.

In this article, we’ll break down the advantages of going used over new for your next live production from an eco standpoint. We’ll also spotlight some gently used broadcast essentials available in our extensive inventory that deliver significant green benefits. Read on to learn how relying on the pre-owned gear experts at Allied lets you reduce your event’s carbon footprint without sacrificing quality or performance.

The Environmental Toll of Manufacturing New Gear

Let’s start by examining the substantial raw materials, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste products generated through manufacturing shiny new broadcast equipment.

Mining Rare Earth Metals

Many essential components in modern video gear rely on rare earth elements and precious metals that require intensive mining processes. Extracting elements like lanthanum, lithium, neodymium, gold, silver, and palladium is extremely water and energy intensive. Plus, hazardous chemicals used often leach into nearby groundwater.

High Water Consumption

It can take over 1,000 gallons of water just to manufacture one smartphone. Now consider the exponentially larger water and chemical usage needed to build sophisticated broadcast cameras, switchers, monitors, audio boards, intercom systems, and more. From cleaning and etching delicate electronics to cooling machinery, freshwater demand is enormous.

Transport Emissions

Once manufactured, shipping tons of delicate new gear long distances across oceans, by air and ground fuel-powered freight, generates massive carbon emissions that accelerate climate change, acidify oceans, and pollute communities.

Waste & Pollution

While electronics recycling is improving, millions of tons of improperly disposed of e-waste still ends up in landfills annually, leaching toxic heavy metals and chemicals into soil and groundwater. Manufacturing processes also produce massive air pollution, ozone-harming emissions, and chemical byproducts that threaten environmental and human health if not properly contained.

Clearly, sourcing sparkling new equipment, while tempting, comes at a real cost to our planet. Since most gear inevitably gets replaced and discarded after a few years to keep pace with technological advancements (regardless of whether older equipment still adequately performs), relying exclusively on new gear exacerbates environmental damages.

The Eco Benefits of Used Broadcast Equipment

Here’s the good news: used video equipment offers incredibly energy-efficient functionality at a fraction of the environmental price.

Greatly Reduced Footprint

Choosing top-quality used gear over brand new equipment immediately eliminates the need for additional energy-intensive manufacturing and long-distance transport. Used equipment directly saves substantial carbon emissions, freshwater consumption, raw material extraction, chemical usage, hazardous waste production, and ocean/air freight transport inherent to creating shiny new gear.

Reusing Equals Recycling

Extending well-built gear’s usable lifespan through repair, maintenance, and reuse represents the ultimate form of electronics “recycling!” Rather than scrapping older (but still high-performing) equipment in favor of flashy new devices, putting quality used gear back into reliable service powers more events with far less required resources.

Reliable Workhorses

The gently used cameras, lenses, switchers, routers, intercoms, audio consoles, and other broadcast staples available from our meticulously-inspected inventory continue delivering superb HD-quality performance…and for a fraction of their original price! Think of them like “lightly driven luxury cars.” Pro-caliber engineering, just with a few miles.

Zero Waste

Used equipment staying active means less waste! While cosmetic wear-and-tear is inevitable with extensive professional use over years (scuffs, scratches, etc), purchasing high-grade gear from respected dealers, such as Allied, ensures underlying functionality remains uncompromised. No need to dump gear that’s still got years of broadcasting life in it!

The Conscientious Choice

Choosing used broadcast gear over constantly chasing the newest releases aligns smart long-term business strategy with eco best practices. Your audiences and viewers will notice no difference in production values, while you make the ethical choice that benefits equipment end-users AND the planet.

Spotlight on Environmentally-Friendly Used Gear Solutions

Ready to tap into major green savings for your next live broadcast, streaming event, AV installation or production shoot while upholding impeccable HD broadcast standards?

As one of the country’s largest professional broadcast resellers carrying millions in inventory, Allied Broadcast Group offers an endless array of field-tested used gear at huge cost discounts off new retail pricing. You score big savings, while the planet scores by avoiding unnecessary resource waste and equipment manufacturing.

We fully service and refresh every pre-owned item until it meets our stringent performance criteria. Our expansive on-site maintenance facility staffed by factory-trained engineers ensures all used inventory appears and functions as good as new, producing flawless HD video and crystal clear audio.

Here’s a small taste of reliable, gently used equipment available for purchase or dry rental that delivers tremendous eco benefits:

Panasonic P2 HD AJ-HPX600
Canon HJ15 10x HD Zoom Lenses w/ 2X Extender
NewTek TriCaster 8000 Multi-Camera Video Mixers
Sony HDC-3300 4K/HD Super Motion Color Cameras
Ikegami HDK-77EX Full Digital Triax Cameras
Clear-Com HelixNet Partyline Intercom Systems
Yamaha CL5 Digital Audio Mixing Consoles

….and thousands more items!

Experience the Hidden Environmental Savings Yourself

Intrigued by the tremendous green savings and reliable performance from quality used broadcast gear? We invite you to visit our offices located just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma and see our pre-owned inventory for yourself.

Over 10+ years, we’ve saved clients thousands on expertly refurbished equipment ideal for producing live sporting events, streaming concerts and performances, broadcasting religious services, powering corporate AV events, and more. Our friendly sales engineers look forward to assessing your production requirements and showcasing affordable used gear solutions that help shrink your event’s environmental impact, without compromising quality.

To learn more and tap into savings on field-proven used broadcast equipment, contact the pre-owned experts at Allied Broadcast Group today at (918) 250-5353!