Lumileds publishes First Sustainability Report
Summarises company’s sustainability agenda, goals and progress in building programs that contribute to a low-carbon economy
Lumileds has released its 2018 Sustainability Report, which details the company’s progress in supporting the transition to a worldwide low-carbon economy.
Lumileds follows a formalised sustainability agenda that identifies specific priorities and tracks progress. For example, in its global LED and automotive lighting operations, the company recently surpassed its 2020 operational goals relative to 2015 including:
41 percent reduction in emissions (20 percent goal)
25 percent reduction in energy consumption (20 percent goal)
25 percent reduction in water usage (20 percent goal)
The sustainability objectives are based on creating value for customers through sustainable innovations, reducing the environmental footprint of the company’s operations, driving improvements in the supply chain toward compliance with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and preventing injuries.
Lumileds has aligned its sustainability efforts with external frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and identified four SDGs to which it can make the most significant contribution: climate action, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, and responsible consumption and production.
Lumileds’ development of energy-efficient, low-carbon LED lighting technologies supports the urgent action to combat climate change. A 2017 market analysis by IHS Markit estimated that Lumileds LEDs reduced total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of lighting globally by 39 million metric tons – equivalent to shutting down 11 coal fired power plants in the United States. In addition to the 41 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, three sustainability programs at the Singapore facility reduced the impact of perfluorinated compounds on the environment by 90 percent.
“Maintaining a safe environment for our worldwide employees is the highest priority. Lumileds’ commitment to and strong performance in occupational health and safety is demonstrated by our low injury rates, as shown in the report. In the area of hazardous substances, we are on track to phase out in our consumer products the use of all PVC and non-regulated bromide flame retardants (BFR), substances that are implicated in detrimental effects on human health, by 2023. As of 2018, 87 percent of Lumileds consumer products are PVC and BFR free,” said Jan van Rompay, director of sustainability at Lumileds.
By the end of this year, all Lumileds facilities worldwide will be ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified. Lumileds also certified against the International Automotive Quality Management Systems standards – IATF16949:2016, which outlines the requirements on designing, developing, manufacturing, installing and servicing automotive products.
