European lightbulb companies are slowing down climate protection

Brussels, Belgium — 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.