Buying new is officially so last year – pre-loved is in. MPB is an online platform transforming the ways we buy, sell and trade in our photo and video kit, a perfect solution to e-waste
e all know and recognise
themselves: ‘Is this a business that we’re happy to be a client of, with green credentials that support our own sustainability agenda?’ That’s something we spend a lot of time working on with our own suppliers, ensuring that what they are doing is sustainable, matching our environmental goals.” MPB was founded by Barker in 2011 – and just celebrated its tenth birthday during the pandemic. It is the largest platform globally for photographers and videographers to buy, sell and trade kit, an admirable example of a way to greenify – as well as streamline – your business’ production practices. ONE, SINGULAR ECOSYSTEM “The definition of ‘kit’ has expanded immensely,” emphasises Barker. “When we started, we were very much a dedicated UK platform, for entry-level photographers.” The business has evolved rapidly alongside that definition of kit mentioned by Barker. While continuing to be headquartered in Brighton, MPB now also has international reach – serving the EU from offices in Berlin, and the US from New York.
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greenwashing as that manipulative type of marketing technique, where
green PR is readily deployed, deceptively persuading the public that an organisation’s products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly. As it turns out, the photography, videography, streaming and broadcast segments are no exception to this. Bafta’s Albert carbon calculator determined that an hour of TV typically generates 14 tonnes of CO2. Data from the Global E-waste Monitor has also revealed that most e-waste comes from small equipment, claiming that cameras and vacuum cleaners are the worst offenders – with a stonking 17.4 million tonnes becoming waste in 2019. It begs the question: how much does this weigh on our industry’s collective conscience? “I think there’s a concern that simply did not exist three or four years ago, with both consumers and businesses, surrounding the choices made when buying equipment,” says CEO of MPB, Matt Barker. “Some of that is on the softer side of asking
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“With that growth has come a massive expansion in the kits we offer, both in terms of what people can buy, and what they can sell. “When we founded the business, there were about 100 different items customers could choose from. Today, there are thousands, only increasing exponentially each year. “There has been a massive expansion into the cinematography, broadcast and streaming markets for MPB as well. We’ve seen items added to our catalogue that could appeal to any individual, freelance videographers and content creators – right the way through to the more high-end cinematographers.”
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