Philips Lighting, a world leader in the manufacture of industrial and consumer lighting products, pledged November 2 to substantially reduce mercury and eliminate lead in the making of fluorescent lighting products at its four
“Philips Lighting has a long history of corporate sustainability, and today it continues this tradition by establishing additional goals to lessen environmental impacts and foster social responsibility at all of the company’s U.S. manufacturing plants,” said Donald S. Welsh, EPA’s mid-Atlantic regional administrator.
In a ceremony at Philips Lighting headquarters in
Philips committed to reduce 780 pounds of mercury by next year from the manufacture of its fluorescent lighting products. This equates to a reduction of nearly two tons of mercury in the manufacture of light bulbs over the next five years.
In addition, the company has pledged to eliminate lead from its manufacturing processes, for a total of 1.5 million pounds by 2010. Mercury and lead are among 31 harmful chemicals and metals identified by EPA as a priority for reducing or eliminating their use. The cuts to be made by Philips Lighting are significant because they represent 37 percent of EPA’s national goal for reducing the 31 chemicals by 4 million pounds come 2011.
EPA’s National Partnership for Environmental Priorities program challenges businesses and manufacturers to become more environmentally aware and to adopt a resource conservation ethic that results in less waste, more recycling, and more environmentally sound products. The program seeks solutions that prevent pollution at the source, by recovering or recycling chemicals which may be hard to eliminate or reduce at the source.
For more information about the national partnership for environmental priorities, visit www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/partnership.htm.
