Royal Philips Electronics has announced a reduction in the mercury content of its CFL lamps to record industry lows. The high performance of these lamps in terms of light output, lifetime and reliability along with energy efficiency are unaffected by the change. The environmental impact of saving hundreds of kilos of mercury will be significant and offers the market a clear “green” alternative to existing Compact Fluorescent lamps.
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The new Philips Extreme Low Mercury designated products can be recognised by a logo on the packaging and product. These include the Philips MASTER PL-L , Philips PL-TOP and Philips PL-C ranges which have been reduced to 1.4mg and the Philips MASTER CFL-I ranges which are all lower than 2 mg whereas the lighting industry benchmark is between 2.4mg -8mg.
These product improvements anticipate the new European RoHS Directive, (2002 95 EC) which is set to become law July 1 2006 with the objective of restricting the use of hazardous substances. In the case of mercury the allowed content for compact fluorescent lamps will be limited to 5 mg.
This announcement means that almost the entire Philips ranges of Philips MASTER Fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent lamps now contain record low levels of mercury.
Philips has invested heavily in the development of techniques to reduce mercury consumption during lamp life, including the development of a unique mercury capsule, which allows a precise dosing of the smallest quantities. In addition there are no mercury emissions during manufacture and no exposure to operators as the mercury is only released after the lamp is closed. Other improvements include the use of special glass that consumes a minimum of mercury and the use of best in class phosphors
“The reduction of hazardous substances is one of the most important environmental concerns today “ says Berno Ram, Philips Marketing Manager “New legislation is due to arrive next summer but we are already committed to exceeding compliance levels”.
The reduction in mercury levels is just one of the results of Philips investment in environmental programs, which is also recognized by the companies sector leadership in the Dow Jones Sustainability index for 2004/5.
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