STL has  announced that it has become the first in the world to launch a range of eco-labelled certified optical products. This range of optical products is recognised by US-based Sphera and verified by Metsims Sustainability Consulting.

Third-party verification of an ecolabel is of utmost importance as it adds credibility and trust to the environmental claims made by the company. This reputable third-party certification places STL’s sustainability efforts in the top quadrant of environmental leadership, classifying its gold-rated products as sustainable and green. This achievement attests to STL’s ingenuity towards bonafide sustainable practices in an era where greenwashing concerns are becoming commonplace.

These ISO 14024 and European Union (EU) guidelines compliant ecolabels granted to STL’s products are multi-attribute in nature, which means they cover many distinct environmental parameters such as energy use, chemical use, recycling, and more.

Post rigorous, multi-attribute evaluation, STL’s products exhibited robust performance.

When compared to standard products, these eco-labelled products:

  • Utilise approximately 52 per cent less energy
  • Carry approximately 75 per cent less global warming potential
  • Use nearly 18 per cent more recycled content and 25 per cent more recycled packaging material and water
  • Reuse and recover around 20 per cent more waste
  • Enhance the longevity of the network by nearly 13 years.

This announcement comes after a series of world-leading sustainability initiatives by the company, including zero-waste to landfill, zero liquid discharge certifications, and the recently announced adoption of the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Commenting on the development, Akanksha Sharma, global ESG head, STL, said, “We are always committed to providing our customers the most sustainable products. Our Eco-labelled products, which are gold-rated on sustainability standards and assured by an external agency, are a big leap forward towards making sustainability a core and integrated industry practice in the industry. This will greatly benefit our customers, enabling them to build more sustainable supply chains and accelerate their carbon-neutrality goals.”

Meanwhile, Ankit Agarwal, managing director, STL, said, “As we announce this groundbreaking development today, I couldn’t have been prouder. Our Eco-labelled products represent a monumental step forward for our customers’ green journeys and put India at the forefront of concrete sustainability action. I’m sure it would create ripple effects of sustainable development in the entire digital networks industry across the world.”

Further, Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, said, “I congratulate STL for taking this environment-friendly initiative and launching the world’s first externally certified eco-labelled optical products range. STL is playing a leading role in the world to provide sustainable optical solutions. The government is also looking at measures and reforms that encourage other companies to take similar initiatives and make the planet a better place to live.”

Going forward, STL has committed to having around 80 per cent of its optical product range eco-labelled by 2030, in line with its net-zero emissions goal.