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| Zumtobel Group publishes sustainability report  Austrian lighting group Zumtobel has published its fourth annual sustainability report. For five years the organisation has been regularly setting goals for itself, seeking to further develop its environmental and social commitment. The highlights in the year under report include, among other things, the rollout of value workshops for all staff members worldwide, completion of the CO2 footprint by factoring in logistics activities as well as the systematic provision of so-called EPDs (environmental declarations) for all core products.Technological change in the lighting industry opens up major opportunities for higher energy efficiency Technological change towards innovative products such as LED light sources, dimmable ballasts and intelligent control systems opens up major opportunities for higher energy efficiency in artificial lighting. There is still a lot of catching-up to do in the market, as, for instance, 75% of industrial and office lighting systems in Europe have by now become obsolescent or inefficient. The Zumtobel Group's strategy of investing in the expansion of its innovative product portfolio in a targeted manner despite difficult underlying economic conditions has turned to account. For instance, in the year under report, the Zumtobel Group managed to increase sales from innovative LED products by 49.8% to EUR 274.5 million. Overall, in the 2012/13 financial year, the Zumtobel Group provided an energy saving potential of 642,289 MWh to the market. This corresponds to the annual power consumption of 214,096 two-person households. Tracing energy consumption For decades, the efficient use of resources has played an important role in the Zumtobel Group. 13 out of 20 production facilities of the Zumtobel Group have been using an environmental management system according to ISO 14001, some of them for many years. In the year under report, the Zumtobel plant in Dornbirn carried out analyses of its material flow cycles, for instance. By increasing the efficiency of resources and materials used and creating sustainable cycles, potential energy savings of EUR 1 million have been opened up at this plant alone. On this basis, ISO 50001 (the internationally recognised standard for energy saving management systems) was incorporated in the Group's sustainability targets in the year under report. Here, the focus is above all on the increase of energy efficiency and the reduction of energy costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. For the first time: overall corporate citizenship concept As an employer, a business partner and also as a neighbour, the Zumtobel Group sees itself as part of the society in which it operates. The Zumtobel Group is recognising its social responsibility by developing an overall corporate citizenship concept. Some facts from the sustainability report: Artificial lighting accounts for 19% of worldwide energy consumption Potential energy savings of 70% can be achieved using a daylight-based lighting control system Building certification is becoming increasingly important: in the case of LEED certification, an optimum lighting solution has an effect equivalent to as many as 28 (out of a maximum of 110) points. Already more than 250 network partners in the "Thorn Energy Partnership" in Europe and North Africa CO2 footprint: Group started documentation of CO2 emissions produced by transport Number of trainees increased from 158 to 179 Employee mobility: in 2012/13, 884 staff members in Dornbirn took part in a survey on a mobility concept Corporate Citizenship: Zumtobel Group Award presented in 2012 for the third time. write your comments about the article :: © 2013 Construction News :: home page |