Paper beats plastic: new transport solution for LEDs reduces CO₂ emissions by 80 percent 

Premstaetten, Austria, and Munich, Germany (November 26, 2025) — ams OSRAM and the Zumtobel Group have jointly developed an alternative to the plastic reels used to transport LED strips and components. The paper reel significantly improves the environmental footprint: with more than a third less weight and more than three quarters less CO₂ emissions. The new reel does not cause any additional costs. This marks an important milestone toward sustainable supply chains in the electronics industry.

 

Paper has several advantages over plastic: A plastic reel weighs 217 grams, the paper reel only 140 grams — 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 percent. In some regions, there are even fees for plastic disposal, whereas paper is more recyclable and biodegradable.

In concrete terms: 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.

 

Sustainability meets industrial suitability
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. 

 

Innovative strength from trusting collaboration
“The paper reel was developed through a trust-based collaboration with our project partner Zumtobel Group, mainly driven by our team in Malaysia,” says Martin Bachler, Head of Sustainability at ams OSRAM. “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. “We are 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.” 

ams OSRAM and the Zumtobel Group worked closely together to develop the idea into a market-ready solution. Today, the paper reel is in an advanced pilot phase and has already undergone positive customer qualification.

 

Sustainability without additional costs
Whether plastic or paper: Material and production costs are at a comparable level, while savings in logistics and disposal enable long-term cost advantages. The paper reel improves key sustainability indicators such as carbon footprint, material use, and waste prevention along the supply chain and supports customers in meeting their ESG requirements.

 

Experience the paper reel live at Light + Building 2026
The paper reel is a flagship project for sustainable packaging solutions in the LED industry. Further steps toward scaling and integration into additional product lines, like automotive components, are already being considered. Recycling is another area being actively pushed forward in order to consistently implement the circular economy concept. 

Interested visitors can explore the paper reel live at Light + Building in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from March 8 to 13, 2026. At the trade fair, ams OSRAM will present the new transport solution to a broad professional audience for the first time.

ams OSRAM has protected over 100 innovations covered by more than 250 patent assets that are related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: responsible consumption and production.

For more information on sustainability at ams OSRAM, visit the website.