CONTACT: Sarah Reddington
GreystonePartners/ 978.618.0680
sarah@greystonepartners.net
Katie Pontius
OSRAM SYLVANIA/ 978.750.2895
katie.pontius@sylvania.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LIGHTFAIR Booth # 1601
OSRAM SYLVANIA REDUCES MERCURY CONTENT IN OCTRON T8 LAMPS
Total Commitment to Environmental Concerns and High Quality Lighting
Products Leads to Mercury Reduction in OCTRON T8 Lamp
New York, N.Y. – (April 12-14, 2005) – Lighting leader OSRAM SYLVANIA is
dedicated to providing quality lamps that meet strict performance standards while
keeping environmental improvement at the forefront of their processes, products
and packaging. The SYLVANIA OCTRON® T8 lamp, part of the ECOLOGIC®
family of products, will soon be available with mercury content reduced to worldclass low levels.
In 1981, the SYLVANIA OCTRON lamp introduced T8 fluorescent technology to
the U.S., ushering in a new era of lighting efficiency. Since then it has become
the benchmark for T8 lamp performance, with OSRAM SYLVANIA holding the
largest market share industry-wide.
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SYLVANIA Reduced Mercury T8
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In the fall of 2005, SYLVANIA will take the next step in its mercury reduction
program dropping the already low mercury content of the 800, 800XP and
800XPS lamp series by more than 50 percent. Additional mercury reductions are
planned in other T8 products for the future.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental impacts of our
products and processes, we wanted to retain the same high level of performance
in this product, while using less mercury,” said Rich Hanlon, marketing manager
for linear fluorescents. “We modified our production techniques to create a
tighter, cleaner lamp that uses less mercury without sacrificing color-temperature
or long life.”
All fluorescent lamps require a small amount of mercury to generate light
efficiently. The elimination of mercury in lamps is not an option, as there is no
known substitute for mercury in fluorescent light sources. By using lamps that
contain reduced amounts of mercury, users can diminish the need for power
generation, thereby lowering power plant emissions – including mercury
emissions.
Since 1990, OSRAM SYLVANIA has joined the lighting industry in reducing
mercury content in total U.S. lamp shipments by about 67 percent, and in fourfoot fluorescent lamps by an average of 80 percent.
OSRAM SYLVANIA uses only recycled mercury in their energy-efficient
fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) products. Ninety-five percent of
SYLVANIA packaging comes from renewable resources, and 90 percent of high
volume packaging is made from post-consumer or post-industrial recycled
materials. Virtually all of their lamp packaging is recyclable.
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SYLVANIA Reduced Mercury T8
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About OSRAM SYLVANIA
Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American
lighting operation of OSRAM GmbH. Together we are the second-largest lighting
and materials enterprise in the world, serving customers in more than 140
countries. We manufacture and market a wide range of lighting 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 lighting
systems installation and maintenance services. For further information, please
refer to our Web site at www.sylvania.com.
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