OSRAM Licht AG is a multinational lighting manufacturer based in Munich, Germany. They are currently undergoing a transformation to a high-tech photonics company. Photonics is technology that uses light –it is at the center of everything they do, and a key technology component of the information age.
Their products cover the full spectrum of lighting – from automotive to horticulture, hospitality lighting to “human-centric” lighting solutions. They also make industrial, office and retail lighting along with UV-C lights that disinfect water by destroying harmful micro-organisms.
OSRAM also makes cinema / projection and entertainment lighting. They produce medical lighting, museum & education lights, façade illumination, LED modules for textiles (like workwear and sports clothing) and wearables / mobiles: sensors and LED for biometric ID, flash & autofocus, gesture recognition and fitness tracking.
The company’s focus on sustainability is also paying handsome returns – as their stock valuation is up over 50% in the last 12 months.
Sustainability Initiatives
Sustainability is a key pillar of the company’s business model. OSRAM has aligned itself with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and they are in line with the principles of the UN Global Compact. Their sustainability efforts fall under five broad categories, including:
Climate
The reduction of climate-changing emissions is one of the largest global challenges. ORSAM is working towards making their own operations CO2-neutral by 2030. To this end they are increasingly focusing on improving energy efficiency in their own operations.
They are also striving to make their products and intelligent lighting control products more energy-efficient, going as far as employing quantum physics to find suitable solutions. Tiny quantum semiconductor particles make it possible to get more and stronger light from LED while using less energy. Recent energy-efficiency improvements aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 2,800 tons, and include:
• In Monterrey, Mexico, small mobile air compressors were used instead of the energy-intensive central supply in production areas with low demand.
• In Hillsboro (USA), all the lighting in the main building was converted to a state-of-the-art LED lighting system.
• In Treviso (Italy), the vacuum supply was upgraded by installing pumps with a variable speed drive (VSD), increasing efficiency significantly.
Safety
ORSAM is working hard to make the world a safer place as part of their sustainability strategy.
They make intelligent automated vehicle and networked traffic management solutions to help reduce road congestion, along with an individual transport mix directed via a smartphone app. The company’s lighting products and biometric sensors are making mobility more comfortable and the roads safer for drivers and passengers alike.
Speech recognition and light sensors that allow automobiles to “hear” and “see” better than ever before – both important considerations for automated driving. Traffic flows are being improved with the help of networked data platforms. Reliance on personal automobiles is being reduced when app-based individual travel plans can be put together – that include autonomous buses and taxis, rental cars and e-scooters.
ORSAM is also pioneering textile lighting for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – using LED lighting systems for clothing, helmets, backpacks and satchels that actively illuminate people -making it easier for them to be seen in fog or in the dark.
Well-Being
Not only sunlight but also artificial light indoors can increase the well-being of people – sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. ORSAM lighting products help produce medical cannabis of high quality, benefiting pharmacists, doctors and patients afflicted by pain. Light can be much more than just illumination.
UV lighting from OSRAM makes water germ-free, and light in the near infrared range can be used for testing foods – via smartphones. ORSAM provide high-performance LEDs for that. And they are researching new ways to make light usable for well-being – even in the microworld.
Connectivity
Using solutions that are based on light, OSRAM is helping connect and opening up new fields of application in industrial production, offices, museums and galleries. Intelligent light management and cloud platforms help to make more efficient use of energy, and to simplify tasks and make them safer. And in smart buildings and cities they can be used to monitor energy consumption and air pollutants.
OSRAM is employing enhanced connectivity by creating “campus networks” – defined as the wireless networking of a building or site by a kind of exclusive mobile network. Deutsche Telekom developed a campus network in collaboration with OSRAM for their factory in Schwabmünchen, Germany.
Stefan Fritz from OSRAM observed: “Our goal is the “smart factory” where all machines and planning processes are connected digitally and in real time. With the Campus solution, we have created an infrastructure in our plant in Schwabmünchen that allows us to implement this efficiently and flexibly for future and existing production. This will enable us to further expand and improve the plant with new technologies.”
Responsibility
Many customers and consumers want to know how social, sustainable and fair OSRAM is when creating production processes and undertaking business activities. The company is continually integrating the general principles of human rights into their approach to running a highly responsible business.
In 2019 the OSRAM Guidelines on Human Rights were developed based on the guiding principles of the United Nations. They combine existing regulations at OSRAM and give every employee a reliable framework to help guide their everyday activities.
“Our prime objective is to avoid the chance of anyone being harmed who is connected to OSRAM in any way,” says Anna Doppelhammer who coordinates our activities in human rights and diversity across the world.
The company is determined to achieve high standards in environmental protection and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, subcontractors, and the inhabitants of neighboring communities. Therefore, OSRAM strives to keep the negative effects of their products as low as possible.
Outside Recognition
OSRAM’s efforts have made it one of the 20 most sustainable companies in world based on 2020 rankings by Canadian research company Corporate Knights, and this made them the most sustainable company in Germany as well.
