Planet
Alternative Materials We use plastics in luminaires for a variety of purposes: to achieve specific optical properties in lenses and protectors, and for durability and impact resistance in covers and bodies. In some cases, bio-plastics can offer a more sustainable alternative. They require extensive laboratory testing to ensure they can maintain the critical properties over the lifetime of the luminaire. These bio-based alternatives have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by up to 60%. In line with our 2023 plan, we have approved the use of certain bio-based products, and will continue to evaluate other bio-based resins in 2024.
Product Packaging
documents. In recent years, we have seen an increasing demand for EPD documents from our customers, and the quality, validity and compliance of these documents have also become more important than ever. To support purchasing decisions, our customers now expect to be able to assess and compare the environmental impact of a product. To better meet these changing expectations, in 2023 we started to improve our LCA process, including full ISO compliance, third-party verification and registration. From the second half of 2024, we plan to be able to provide our customers with EPD documents produced according to the new process. However, the purpose of the LCA process is not only to produce EPD documents. It can also facilitate the development of products with minimal environmental impact, through the use of appropriate software and knowledge of the material impacts of products. This is why we have set ourselves the target of implementing LCA in the product development process by 2024, and helping our engineers to consider environmental impacts in their design process.
As part of our sustainability work, we are improving the way we package our outdoor luminaires. We are prioritising packaging that uses recycled or environmentally friendly materials wherever possible, while using streamlined designs to reduce our environmental footprint. Our objective is to minimise waste while maintaining the integrity and protection of our products. These innovative packaging solutions are part of our wider commitment to sustainability throughout the entire lifecycle of our products, from manufacture to disposal. The redesigned packaging of our ALURA luminaire has significantly reduced our logistic GHG emissions. Firstly, we switched to a smaller box that uses less material, by changing the placement of the product inside the boxes. Secondly, we eliminated all internal corrugated inserts, reducing the total amount of material used. Finally, by switching to a smaller pallet size (from 800x1500 to 800x1200), we not only reduced the carbon footprint of the lorries, but also increased the transport capacity by 25%. By changing the pallet size for our ALBANY luminaire from 800x1200 to 1200x1200, we have significantly improved pallet utilisation and coverage from 72% to 96%. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the environmental impact of logistics. Our OWLET range was previously packaged in plastic. However, due to the negative environmental impact of plastic, including land and sea pollution and harm to wildlife, we sought a more environmentally friendly alternative and switched from plastic to paper packaging.
LifeCycle Assessment & Environmental Product Declaration
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the process of evaluating the environmental impact of a product over its lifetime, while the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is the document that communicates the details of the LCA results. At Schréder, we established our LCA process in 2019, and since then we have been able to provide our customers with cradle-to-grave LCA results and EPD
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