E Ink Holdings Inc. and Sharp Corporation announced their collaboration to bring ePaper posters using E Ink's technology to market. Digital signage is becoming increasingly popular, not only with advertisers, but as a communication tool in public spaces and facilities for transmitting information in a timely manner. However, it is still common to see paper posters used in areas where it is difficult to install digital signage, whether it is due to an electrical supply not being available, or the surface on which the signage would be installed does not have the necessary load-bearing capacity.

E Ink has revolutionized a variety of markets--such as e-books, digital notepads and electronic shelf labels--with their proprietary digital paper technology that features the visibility and portability of paper in a digital display format that requires no power to display an image. Since entering the digital signage business in 2005, Sharp has become a market leader with their " Changing city scenery, changing office scenery" theme. They have done this not only through the development of displays, but also through offering a one-stop solution for digital displays--from planning, production, consulting, and system construction to installation and maintenance-- that can fit any given installation location.

Three years ago, the companies began collaborating with the goal of combining their strengths to contribute to the carbon-neutral era by popularizing digital posters. The potential of these digital posters has been confirmed through marketing activities, such as exhibiting prototype displays at exhibitions both within Japan and around the globe. As the first step in this collaboration, Sharp will release their 42-inch monochrome "ePoster" digital paper display in the Japanese market in early April 2023.

In addition to having a power consumption of 0 W during display, it also uses light reflected from outside sources to display its image, providing optimal visibility even in bright environments. The display is also thin and lightweight. Using their expertise in installing and operating digital signage, along with their extensive service network across Japan, Sharp will offer digital poster options to replace paper posters in locations where digital signage has been previously difficult to install.

In addition to working towards future advancements, such as larger or color displays, both companies plan to strengthen their collaboration. The two companies plan to expand their efforts worldwide and develop a market for ePaper posters to serve as a new tool to disseminate information in the carbon-neutral era. E Ink has also been studying the CO2 effects of using paper versus ePaper displays.

Findings have shown significant CO2 savings with the use of E Ink ePaper displays. Over the past seven years, 600 million electronic shelf labels (ESLs) of around three inches in size have been installed worldwide. If it is assumed that the price and information is changed four times a day, ePaper tags can reduce CO2 emissions by 32,000 times versus single-use paper price tags.