“There are significant challenges when communicating about sustainability,” says PeO Axelsson, Marketing Manager at TYRI Sweden and responsible for sustainability communication at TYRI. Sustainability is a complex area that many have opinions on, and the risk of it becoming just nice words on paper is high.
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TYRI has been working on various sustainability projects for a long time, but has chosen not to communicate this broadly. Along the way, they have learned many lessons, which they are now keen to share. The company doesn’t claim to be a team of sustainability specialists. They are experts in developing high-quality work lighting and are major players in their industry, producing nearly two million lamps a year. With that volume, they can make a significant impact in the sustainability field.
“We’re dedicated to driving forward in every way we can. That’s why we’ve chosen, even with the possibility of setbacks,
to take the lead in advancing a more sustainable work lighting industry,” says Axelsson.“
The goal is to openly share what we are doing and avoid any attempts at greenwashing. We also want to be completely honest that we’re not just doing this to be good or to save the world – we’re doing it because we’re convinced it’s profitable.” The goal is to find solutions that have positive environmental effects and save money or increase revenue for TYRI and our customers. That’s when sustainability becomes truly long-term.
The ambition and drive to make a difference
TYRI is an innovative company that constantly tries to develop forward-thinking concepts in work lighting. They have a passion for new technology and use it consistently in their product development. Today, advancements in technology enable the production of lamps in a much more environmentally friendly way, while significantly reducing energy consumption. When it comes to sustainability communication, TYRI aims to take the lead by actively guiding and driving the conversation, ideally in collaboration with customers and industry peers.
Credibility means doing what you say
To be credible in communication, it is crucial that you can prove it’s not just empty words. In TYRI’s case, they have developed many different concepts that are already in production.
It’s important to identify where the company’s products have a negative environmental impact and where in the process this is most significant. These issues can then be addressed first, says PeO Axelsson, continuing “Upon careful analysis of TYRI’s own products, it turns out that the production of a lamp accounts for only 5-10 % of the lamp’s total CO2 emissions over its entire lifespan. 90–95% occurs during usage, mainly through energy consumption. With that knowledge, it becomes clear that the most important thing is to develop lamps that are as energy-efficient as possible. The advantage here is that in parts of the world where the energy is the dirtiest, the benefit is the greatest.”
Collaboration unlocks the biggest opportunities
TYRI has its own plan for the company’s development, but it’s through collaboration with the most ambitious customers that the most significant benefits can be achieved. Developing the most energy-efficient lamps on the market is not entirely cost-free. Using the best technology and the best LEDs and circuit boards gets you far, but it often requires a higher initial investment.
“We want to work with our customers and their customers to find ways to justify these investments. The environmental impact is one part, but it also has to be profitable over the product’s lifecycle, so the total cost becomes lower,” explains Axelsson.
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