Let’s talk sustainability: Q&A with Gareth Jackson

We are advancing light: At LEDVANCE, we believe light can make a significant contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Therefore, the desire to make our products more sustainable has already found its way into many areas: the elimination of plastic in packaging, the reduction of rare raw materials in our products, or the improvement of their quality. 
As Chief Operating Officer, Gareth Jackson ensures that further ideas find their way into the operational business at LEDVANCE. In this interview, we will delve into LEDVANCE's sustainability strategy, the transformative power of light, and how sustainable products benefit both the environment and consumers. 

LEDVANCE began its journey as an independent company with its own brand and identity in 2016. Originating from the general lighting division of OSRAM, our roots go back much further. Over 110 years of team spirit and know-how live on in LEDVANCE and have developed their own momentum since our foundation. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of general lighting, we are strongly linked to the transformation of the lighting industry.  

For over a century, our focus has been on improving efficiency. The introduction of the energy-saving lamp almost 40 years ago and the LED lamp around 15 years ago represented landmark advances along this path. By chairing working groups and joining global industry associations, where we work together with government, industry, and other stakeholders, we have been able to drive for sustainability already since 2008. At the Light + Building trade fair in 2016, LEDVANCE, until then exclusively a supplier of lamps, presented its first own range of luminaires. From the very beginning, we not only relied on LED technology, but also offered a variety of smart products that have the potential to make LED even more efficient in its use phase. In 2022, at the same trade fair, we continued this development by presenting the next evolutionary stage of LED technology – our EVERLOOP system. With EVERLOOP, we are the first major manufacturer in the world to offer luminaires with replaceable drivers and LED modules. The modular design also allows sensors and other components to be retrofitted.  

End consumers benefited from savings of up to 90 percent compared to incandescent lamps. Initial scepticism about the new technology was overcome by the spread of even better LED products. Initially, it was mainly classic incandescent lamps that were replaced by corresponding LED alternatives. Over the years, luminaires with integrated LEDs that were precisely tailored to the new technology became more prevalent. 

The desire to make our products more sustainable has found its way into many areas, whether it is through the elimination of plastic in packaging, the reduction of rare raw materials in our products, or the improvement of their quality. For example, the idea for EVERLOOP originated in an interdisciplinary team led by our research and development department. Since 2022, we have also had a dedicated sustainability team, which falls within my area of responsibility.  
As Chief Operating Officer, it is my obligation to ensure that the department’s ideas find their way into our operational business. We are aware of the impact our business activities have on the economy, nature, and people, as well as the leverage we have through our sustainable transformation.    

Yes. We stand by the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, to which we have belonged since 2017. We are convinced that light can make a significant contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. With human-centered lighting concepts that mimic the natural daylight, we help to adapt people’s routines and body functions to a natural rhythm, thus contributing to SDG 3 – good health and well-being, while our efficient solutions enable access to affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).  

We adopted a sustainability strategy that covers all areas of LEDVANCE. The strategy finds its way into our various subsidiaries via various short, medium, and long-term goals and thus has an impact on about 140 countries in which we do business. Beyond our efforts to provide energy- and resource-saving lighting products, we are evaluating whether our customers would also be interested in renewable energy products from us.  
This strategy is also embedded in our sustainability report, which we published for the first time in 2022. In the report, we present our impact, corresponding management approaches, and milestones we achieved. Thereby, we focus on five areas: (1) our strategy, (2) governance and compliance, (3) sustainability in product and (4) business operations, and (5) our responsibility towards employees and society. These focus topics resulted from a materiality analysis conducted in 2022, which enabled us to identify the areas that are most important to us.  

We are proud of what we have already achieved, and at the same time still see so much we can improve on. In doing so, we also count on you. After all, protecting our planet also starts with our employees, partners, and customers.  
Do you want to know more about what has already been done at Ledvance in terms of sustainability? Then take a look at our sustainability timeline and join us on a journey through the history of LEDVANCE.