Press release - June 5, 2007
Today the European Lamp Companies Federation announced its 'New Lamp Industry Initiative' proposing a slow phase out of energy inefficient lighting. In the plan the most common incandescent lightbulbs would not be phased out until 2015. This means that in the next eight years, millions of tons of CO2 will be needlessly pumped into the atmosphere.
Greenpeace wants all lamps with an efficiency rating below 25
lumen per Watt to be phased out by 2010. The Federation (including
Philips, Osram, GE and Sylvania) claims that the market cannot move
so fast.
"When products become trendy, markets can move very quickly to
meet demand. It took almost no time for everybody to have a digital
camera on their mobile phone and an ipod in their pocket. Efficient
lightbulbs are not a new technology and could easily replace
wasteful lightbulbs within two and a half years." said Sharon
Becker of Greenpeace International.
"It will not help the EU meet its binding target of 20% CO2
reduction by 2020 if the main industry players slow down the phase
out of 19th century light bulbs, which waste 97% of their energy
input. The Lamp Federation is feeling the heat and trying to buy
time for its business-as-usual approach, at the cost of the
climate. Instead it should give its customers what they want and
the climate what it needs, efficient lighting that does not cost
the earth," added Becker.
Other contacts: Sharon Becker, Greenpeace International Climate Campaigner: +31646162036
Exp. contact date: 2007-06-14 00:00:00