CONTACT:
Shannon Costello
GreystonePartners/845.223.1950
shannon@greystonepartners.net
David Greening
OSRAM SYLVANIA/978.750.2404
david.greening@sylvania.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LIGHTFAIR Booth #4348
OSRAM SYLVANIA CELEBRATES GREEN BIRTHDAY BENCHMARK
Reduce Mercury OCTRON Lamps Turn 25 as the ECOLOGIC Line Turns 10
Las Vegas, NV (May 30, 2006) – Lighting leader OSRAM SYLVANIA marked a quarter-century milestone for its OCTRON® T8 fluorescent lamps this year. Manufactured by the company since 1981, and currently being produced at a major manufacturing facility in Versailles, K.Y., the OCTRON T8 lamps have delivered significant environmental savings by replacing the previous standards: T12 fluorescents.
Benefits
“When the OCTRON T8 was introduced 25 years ago, it ushered in a new era of efficiency,” Charlie Jerabek, president and CEO of OSRAM SYLVANIA, said. “The use of T8 lamps instead of T12s over the last 25 years has saved customers more than $27 billion in electricity costs, and conserved enough energy to run all five boroughs of New York City for 9 years.”
The move to OCTRON lamps has also prevented the dissemination of over 382 million pounds of CO², 4 tons of airborne mercury and air pollution equivalent to more than 23 million cars.
As part of its larger corporate sustainability initiative, SYLVANIA is currently reducing mercury levels for its OCTRON 800 series by 50 percent, to be followed by a substantial reduction in its 700 series. Initiatives like these save over three-quarters of a pound of mercury for every million lamps produced.
Since 1990, OSRAM SYLVANIA has joined the industry in reducing mercury content in total U.S. lamp shipments by about 67 percent, and in four-foot fluorescent lamps by an average of 80 percent.
In February, the United States Protection Agency (US EPA) recognized SYLVANIA’s lamp plant in Versailles for joining the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities, and committing to significantly reducing the elemental mercury of their linear fluorescents lamps. Additionally, the US EPA and US Department of Energy recently named SYLVANIA a Sustained Excellence Partner as a four-time winner of the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award.
OCTRON T8 lamps carry the coveted SYLVANIA ECOLOGIC® label that distinguishes them as environmentally preferable products. Launched 10 years ago, the ECOLOGIC line shared a green anniversary with OCTRON at LIGHTCongress when it celebrated the 800 SYLVANIA products that sport the icon – more than any other manufacturer.
ABOUT OSRAM SYLVANIA
Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American operation of OSRAM GmbH. Together we are the second-largest and materials enterprise in the world, serving customers in more than 140 countries. We manufacture and market a wide range of products, including automotive, electronic and magnetic ballasts, and precision materials and components for industrial and commercial users, original equipment manufacturers and consumers, sold primarily under the SYLVANIA brand name, but also under the OSRAM brand. OSRAM SYLVANIA also offers systems installation and maintenance services. For further information, please refer to our Web site at www.sylvania.com.