Zumtobel and ams Osram have developed a paper alternative to the plastic reels used to transport LED strips and components.
They say the paper reel significantly improves the environmental footprint: with more than a third less weight and more than three quarters less CO₂ emissions.
The paper reel weighs only 140 grams compared to 217 grams for a plastic version — a reduction of around 35 percent.
The raw material extraction, production and disposal of a plastic reel cause around 1.075 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent emissions¹, while the paper reel only generates 203 grams — a decrease of around 80 per cent.
In some regions, there are even fees for plastic disposal, whereas paper is more recyclable and biodegradable.
If ams Osram were to replace more than half a million plastic reels with paper reels each year, 108 tons of plastic and 436 tons of CO₂ emissions could be saved.
At the same time, the transport weight would be reduced by 38.5 tons per year. The use of paper therefore not only saves transport costs and waste, but also reduces CO₂ emissions along the entire supply chain — from production to disposal.
The stability, handling, and cleanliness of the paper reel meet the strict requirements of LED manufacturing and product safety. In extensive tests, ams Osram and the Zumtobel Group were able to prove that paper reels show performance characteristics comparable to those of plastic reels.
The paper solution also delivered strong performance on the industry-standard SMT line, the highly automated production line for placing electronic components onto printed circuit boards, maintaining the same efficiency and shape.
Particle safety was also confirmed and meets the strict requirements of the clean room. In addition, the paper reel is designed to hold the same number of components as its plastic counterpart.
‘The paper reel was developed through a trust-based collaboration with our project partner Zumtobel Group, mainly driven by our team in Malaysia,’ Martin Bachler, head of sustainability at ams Osram, told the Circular Lighting Report. ‘If you want to be more environmentally friendly, you have to challenge established standards, and that requires openness and courage.’
‘Our collaboration with ams Osram on the sustainable paper reel once again confirms that sustainability is a team sport,’ says Bernhard Apsner, senior director global technical purchasing at Zumtobel Group. ‘W’re proud to have initiated this project and to have collaborated on developing a resource-efficient packaging solution. This project is in line with the Zumtobel Group’s sustainability strategy, with which we are gradually becoming a more sustainable company ourselves, and which encourages us to work together with our customers and partners to shape a more sustainable future.’
