OSRAM CEO Martin Goetzeler at UN Conference in Singapore

OSRAM CEO Martin Goetzeler at UN Conference in Singapore

April 18, 2007

A 30% Migration to Energy-Efficient Lighting Cuts Worldwide
CO2 Emissions by 260 Million Tons and Electricity by 460
Billion kwhrs


    SINGAPORE, April 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- OSRAM CEO
Mr. Martin Goetzeler reasserted the lighting manufacturer
giant's commitment to eco-friendly products at today's
opening of the Global Business Summit for the Environment
(B4E) organized by the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP).  The summit is the first major international
conference focusing on business and the environment in
Asia.  The event aims to highlight the environmental
challenges facing global business today and share
strategies and best practices for corporate environmental
responsibility.  In 1985, OSRAM (a 100%-owned subsidiary of
Siemens AG) invented the world's first energy-saving lamp,
with the electronic components integrated into the base for
better energy efficiency, and is today one of the world's
two largest lighting manufacturers, offering a broad
product range of energy-saving lighting solutions for all
applications including LEDs from our production facilities
in Regensburg, Germany, and Penang, Malaysia.

    (Photo:
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/OSRAM/20070418/OSRAM.htm )  

    "We are facing huge challenges with accelerating
climate change. Every individual should contribute to
protect our planet through the use of energy-efficient
lighting systems.  Taking into account potential savings by
replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps
and halogen energy savers and by including savings by using
more efficient office and street lighting -- while assuming
that 30% of the world switch to using these energy-saving
lighting products -- this roughly translates to a reduction
of 260 million tons of global CO2 emission and 460 billion
kWh of electricity," estimates Martin Goetzeler, CEO
of OSRAM.  "This figure equates to roughly the annual
electricity consumption of India, half of Japan or a
quarter of China."  Artificial light accounts for 19%
of the global demand for electricity -- and offers a huge
potential for energy savings (see additional information
below).  "It is important to ensure that energy-saving
lighting systems meet the highest quality standards and
represent a real contribution to environmental protection
-- and that includes their components, manufacturing
process and waste disposal," Martin Goetzeler added.

    Asia as key growth region in lighting market -- Second
plant in India to meet market demand

    Asia Pacific currently accounts for an estimated 40% of
the global lighting market, with industry analysts
predicting steady growth which will increase its global
market share to 50% by 2015.  "Sustainable products
will play a major role worldwide -- also in APAC.  As a
result, OSRAM is strengthening its position in this growth
region." OSRAM has already accomplished various
milestones.  In 2006, OSRAM set up its new pan-regional
Asia organisation with its headquarters in Hong Kong. 
Closer contact with customers was a strong factor in the
company's decision to relocate the headquarters of the
Ballasts and Luminaires Division to Hong Kong and the
Display Systems Business Unit to Japan in 2006. 

    "This year, we are in the process of building a
second plant in India, which is aimed at producing
sustainable lighting products.  And we are also delivering
on our strategy to continuously expand our presence in
China."

    OSRAM's global support for politically-backed
environment initiatives

    Through its involvement with industrial associations,
OSRAM is actively promoting public policies made in favour
of energy-efficient lighting.  In Asia, OSRAM is supporting
the efforts of several governments for their country's
transition towards energy-saving solutions.  As a member of
the European lamp association (ELC), OSRAM together with
industry partners announced the industry commitment to
support a government shift in Europe to more efficient
lighting products in street, office and domestic lighting. 
And in the U.S., the company last week joined fellow members
of the Lamp Section of the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA) in announcing a joint industry commitment
to support public policies that will transform the U.S.
market to more energy-efficient lighting within 10 years.

    With a global footprint spanning all continents and
customers in 150 countries, Martin Goetzeler also
emphasized OSRAM's commitment to promote energy-saving
lighting systems in developing and emerging markets. 
"We are proud that in February 2007, after three years
of continuous work, we became the world's first lighting
manufacturer to receive approval from the United Nations
for a `Clean Development Mechanism' (CDM) based on the
Kyoto Protocol for reducing CO2 emissions." This
sustainable methodology based on the Kyoto Protocol will
enable millions of incandescent light bulbs to be directly
replaced by energy-saving lamps over the next few years in
developing and emerging countries mainly in Africa and
Asia.  "We invite all lighting manufacturers to adopt
our publicly available CDM method and promote further
energy-saving lighting."  In addition, OSRAM's
commitment towards developing and emerging countries is
also reflected by World Bank tenders like in Uganda, where
currently 800,000 incandescent lamps are being changed to
energy saving lamps from OSRAM.

    About the company

    OSRAM (headquarters in Munich, Germany; 100 percent
subsidiary of SIEMENS), is a member of the Global Compact
and one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the
world. The birth of the OSRAM brand goes back to 1906.  The
company sells products primarily under the OSRAM brand name,
and also under the SYLVANIA brand in NAFTA.  Global sales in
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006 totalled 4.6
billion euros, 88 percent of which came from outside
Germany.  OSRAM is a high-tech company in the lighting
sector. Around 40 percent of sales come from innovative
products, with R&D focusing, among other things, on
sustainable materials and products.  This global player
employs around 40,000 people worldwide, supplies customers
in some 150 countries and has 49 production facilities in
18 countries.

    Background: energy saving lamps

    Energy-saving lamps consume up to 80% less electricity
than ordinary light bulbs for the same amount of light and
last up to 15 times longer.  An ordinary light bulb will
burn on average for only 1000 hours.  And it converts 95%
of the energy it consumes into heat and only 5% into light.
 Over its life of up to 15 years an OSRAM Longlife
energy-saving lamp will save about one megawatt hour (MWh)
of electricity and around half a ton of CO2 emissions.

    In the summer OSRAM will be launching energy-saving
halogen lamps -- giving consumers even more choice. These
lamps produce brilliant light typical of halogen lamps but
can be dimmed without restriction.  They last twice as long
as incandescent lamps and achieve energy savings of up to
30%.

    There is also enormous potential for energy savings in
the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the
public sector (street lighting, for example).  Simply by
replacing conventional fluorescent lamps with intelligent
energy-saving systems could save around 320 million MWh and
160 million tons of CO2 emissions worldwide each year.  This
corresponds to the CO2 emissions of all the vehicles
registered in Germany.


    For more information, please contact:

     Reglindis Pfeiffer
     Corporate Spokesperson 								
     OSRAM GmbH
     Tel:   [phone] 
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

    Additional contact for Asia Pacific:

     Edelman PR, Ellen O'Gorman
     Director
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]