Green Partner - OSRAM SYLVANIA
OSRAM SYLVANIA’s Commitment
Global Care represents our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. As a leader in innovative lighting solutions, we are dedicated to products and processes that contribute to solving global sustainability challenges, address economic needs and protect the environment for today and for the future. 
At SYLVANIA, global sustainability is our business. Because lighting is one of the major components of electrical usage in the United States, it’s our job as a lighting leader to improve the efficiency of our lighting products and reduce their environmental impact. Our philosophy is simple—keep the environment in mind at all times. That means thinking beyond our products to how they’re used and our methods of manufacturing, distribution and disposal. We’ve reduced mercury content by over 92% in many of our fluorescent lamps, increased lamp energy efficiency by up to 60%, and we facilitate the recycling of over 8.5 million lamps annually. The result is a brighter future for the environment and for you, too—thanks to the lower operating and maintenance costs with our sustainable lighting solutions.
Energy and Lighting
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, energy consumption for all lighting in the United States is estimated to be 8.2 quads or about 22% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. and one-fifth of the national electrical consumption.
More than half of the energy is consumed in the commercial sector, where lighting coincides with peak electrical demand and contributes to a building's internal heat generation, increasing air-conditioning load.
Consumers and businesses spend approximately $37 billion a year to light their homes, offices, streets, and factories. Advanced lighting technologies can significantly improve the energy efficiency of lighting and reduce building energy consumption and costs.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association, or NEMA, the largest trade association representing the lighting industry, estimates that "manufacturers” use of rare-earth phosphors instead of halo phosphates, and development of smaller bulb diameters (T8 and T5), together with the shift to electronic from magnetic ballasts have led to a 40%-50% improvement in lighting system efficiency. This efficiency results in reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, including mercury. The introduction of pulse-start technology and ceramic arc tubes has significantly increased efficiency of metal halide lamps. Manufacturers have also developed and promoted the use of compact fluorescent lamps to replace incandescent lamps.
Lamps are now available with a 20% to 50% increase in lamp life compared with products available in 1990.
For our customers, installing energy-efficient lighting is one of the most effective, sustainable design strategies available today. Reduced energy usage means reduced utility emissions, which means less air pollution and related human health effects. At OSRAM SYLVANIA we have long been the energy-efficient product innovators. We were first with high-performance, energy-saving T8 fluorescent lamps in North America.
In 1981 we introduced the SYLVANIA OCTRON® family of fluorescent lamps, ushering in a new era of lighting efficiency. Since then, we have helped our customers save more than 267 billion kilowatt hours -- enough to run all of New York City for 4 years!! that represents over $26 billion in electricity costs.
For years we have offered our customers optimal design and energy performance with The SYSTEM SOLUTION® concept, our inventive offering of energy-efficient SYLVANIA lamps and ballasts. By bringing lamp and ballast development under one roof, we have been able to design SYLVANIA lighting systems that optimize energy savings without sacrificing other elements of performance. As a lighting industry leader in energy efficiency, OSRAM SYLVANIA was instrumental in developing the Department of Energy Federal Ballast ruling requiring the use of energy-saving electronic ballasts in most fluorescent luminaires by 2005, and for replacement purposes by 2010.
The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy joined forces in 1996 to add compact fluorescent lamps to the ENERGY STAR® family of products, launching a new era for the CFL. More than 40% of the US population recognizes the ENERGY STAR logo as the symbol for energy efficiency, and utility rebate programs throughout the country have helped boost the sales of these lamps which are up to 75% more energy-efficient than their incandescent counterparts.
In 2004 alone, SYLVANIA compact fluorescent lamps bearing the ENERGY STAR label sold through utility rebate programs helped save consumers close to $11 million and prevented air pollution equivalent to that of almost 9,500 cars each year.
Look to OSRAM SYLVANIA for a wide variety of ECOLOGIC® products.
SYLVANIA Products designated as ECOLOGIC are designed to pass the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests for hazardous waste determination. Products meeting the TCLP test may be declared “universal waste” in many states, easing the administrative, storage and transportation burdens for these products. (Check your state and local governments for the most current regulations.) In Canada, products may be classified differently. ECOLOGIC lamps have little or no lead in their glass or bases and reduced amounts of mercury in the high intensity discharge (HID) and fluorescent lamp types. Many of these products also offer additional “green” features such as energy efficiency and long life, and packaging made from recycled or recyclable materials.
Contact Information
| 978.777.1900 | |
| OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc. | www.sylvania.com |
| 100 Endicott Street | |
| Danvers, MA 01923 | |
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