Use Vs Production Phase

Sebastian: We assess the environmental impact of luminaires mainly through two factors: Global Warming Potential and Abiotic Resource Consumption. The former, expressed as "CO2 equivalents", measures the CO2 emissions released over the luminaires life cycle. Our research has shown some interesting findings in this area - over 90 percent of CO2 emissions occur during the use phase, while the production phase, including transportation, accounts for only 1 and 5 percent.

Lima: Therefore, extending a luminaire’s efficiency and lifespan is a significant sustainability lever. While the materials used and recycling options do matter, their impact is smaller by comparison. Nonetheless, recycled materials can reduce CO2 in production, though care must be taken to avoid compromising the luminaire’s efficiency, as this could increase CO2 emissions in the use phase.

Sebastian: Absolutely. Another key impact category is the abiotic depletion potential (ADPe), which measures the use of scarce resources in luminaires. All our housing materials (steel, aluminum, plastic) perform very well here. However, the most valuable and scarce resources, are used in electronic components like LED modules and ballasts.

Lima: • With each new development, we ask ourselves the crucial question: where can we save resources, optimize structures and improve recyclability? This sustainable approach is already evident in our existing products such as our Oleveon and Aragon. Both have housing made from recycled PET bottles, which significantly reduces their environmental impact. We also continuously focus on sustainability in new designs, such as our universal lighting system Yonos for the office sector. Yonos not only impresses with its flexibility, which enables efficient adaptation to different requirements, but also with its material-friendly design. Unfortunately, material choice is often restricted in practice by various technical and thermal conditions, which challenges but does not stop our efforts to achieve sustainability.