Indoor farming requires 95-98% less water and a significantly lower quantity of pesticides than cultivation outside. What is more, any plant variety can be cultivated anywhere in the world irrespective of climate.

At Tungsram, they are dreaming of a future in which the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices, and plants serving as the raw ingredients for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals can happen completely independently of season and geographical location, even in offices, residential properties and food stores. Experts from the company renowned for its innovation are working at full speed on research programmes linked to precision indoor farming.

Last April, Tungsram, which was founded in 1896, returned to the global market. The enterprise, which was always famous for its innovation, is not only continuing its established R&D activities in the field of lighting technology, but it is investing in new, dynamically growing sectors as well. One of these areas is precision indoor farming.

“The Tungsram Agritech division was established in autumn 2018. Our goal is the development of world-beating LED and smart solutions that can be successfully applied by enterprises active in the field of precision indoor farming,” says Zoltán Sejpes, head of Tungsram Agritech.

The corporate group employs more than 4000 people in 22 countries. Its global competitive strategy focuses on developing the type of technologies that will form the bases of the industries of the future.

“Forecasts suggest that, by 2050, the population of the world will have grown to more than nine billion, that is, over 70% more food will be required to feed this population than at present. Furthermore, 70% of the population will be living in urban areas, which is why it is necessary to position agricultural production on totally new foundations. There is critical need for a massive enhancement in efficiency, and precision indoor farming makes this possible. Through the application of shelving systems, for every unit of area there can be a capacity increase multiple of as much as several ten-folds compared to current outdoor technologies. Thus it comes as no surprise to know that projections by independent market researcher Strategies Unlimited estimate the size of the indoor farming market will grow from USD 500 million in 2018 to over USD 1000 million by 2020, and by 2024 the market will be worth more than USD 6700 million,” notes Zoltán Sejpes.

He reckons that the century of lighting technology know-how accrued at Tungsram represents an excellent base on which to become involved in R&D in this area, too. One of the objectives is to establish a research hub unique in Central-Eastern Europe, which – with the involvement of institutions of higher education, agricultural and industrial partners – will examine various plant varieties to determine exactly what amount and composition of light they require in their various segments of the life cycle for optimal growth.

As a first step, in December 2018 the company signed a trilateral declaration of intent for collaboration on carrying out joint industry-level research and development activities with Szent István University, renowned as a bastion of agro-education in Hungary, and Veresi Paradicsom Kft., under the patronage of the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology.

“We are dreaming of a future in which the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices, and plants serving as the raw ingredients for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals can happen completely independently of season and geographical location in the immediate environment of people, even in offices, private residential properties and food stores,” adds the expert.

With the assistance of LED technology, plants can be provided with the colour temperature that results in the most intensive growth and nutrient uptake in the given segment of the life cycle. Precision indoor farming requires 95-98% less water and a significantly lower quantity of pesticides than cultivation outside. What is more, any plant variety can be cultivated anywhere in the world irrespective of climate.

https://tungsram.com/

• Global warming is considered to be the greatest social challenge for one in three German citizens

• Germans are willing to change their behavior and pay more for sustainably manufactured products

• E.ON: CO₂ pricing would be provide a tangible incentive for industry to reduce CO₂ emissions

According to a recent survey conducted by research institute puls on behalf of E.ON, one in three Germans (32.9 percent) believe that climate change is the greatest social challenge at present. German citizens are even more concerned about the climate than about pollution (23.6 percent), poverty (26.3 percent) or war, which currently only worries 17.2 percent of the population.

Moreover, 77 percent of German citizens are prepared to change their own behavior in areas such as transportation, food, living environment or shopping, or have already done so. Almost a third (33.5 percent) of people in Germany are prepared to pay up to 10 percent more for climate-friendly products, while another third (39.3 percent) would pay up to 5 percent more for sustainable products.

“Our survey shows that the German population is prepared to contribute to reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gases. E.ON has been advocating increased CO₂ pricing for some time in order to provide a renewed incentive to promote and implement climate-friendly forms of energy. In addition, our energy solutions support companies, cities and end customers in sustainably reducing their CO₂ emissions,” states Johannes Teyssen, CEO of E.ON SE.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

Yesterday evening, the winners of the 2018 European Cleaning Awards were announced — and Essity won two prestigious awards for ‘Best Practice-Sustainability’ and ‘Technological Innovation of the Year’.

The professional cleaning sector employs millions of people across Europe and plays a vital role in hygiene, well-being, image and job satisfaction The Award aims to recognize and reward standards of excellence in all areas and at all levels of employee policy, client relationships, sustainability, innovation and driving up industry standards.

The company´s commitments and activities on well-being, more from less and circularity were named best in class by the jury. And Tork EasyCube was chosen as winner because the new IoT platform, customer insights and proven customer value makes Tork EasyCube as an Innovation that just keeps innovating

“These two awards show how our sustainability approach for the Tork brand is enabling customers to secure their own goals on circularity, waste and well-being of their staff and customers. Our ambition to be leading with IoT tools in professional hygiene is also only able if we keep showing customer value, customer success and constantly updating our offer.” Says Don Lewis, President for Professional Hygiene at Essity

Tork PaperCircle, available in some countries across Europe, enables customers to decrease their environmental footprint and work circular by collecting and recycling used paper hand towels locally into new tissue products. The result cuts the carbon footprint by 40 percent compared to current waste handling options*.

Unlike other solutions that are still in beta mode, Tork EasyCube currently has more than 100 customers – across high-traffic venues ranging from amusement parks and shopping malls to airports and office buildings. Using aggregated data and insights from these customers Essity can clearly demonstrate results such as 24 percent less cleaning rounds needed, 20 percent less hours spent whilst increasing the quality of cleaning and employee satisfaction.

***

About the European Cleaning and Hygiene Award 2018

As the only pan-European publication serving the cleaning sector, European Cleaning Journal (ECJ) has as its main objective the promotion of the highest in professional standards by acknowledging and honoring the industry’s phenomenal work with the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards.

* The results of a life cycle analysis (LCA) in 2017, verified by IVL, Swedish Environmental Research Institute Ltd, where the avoided processes have been taken into account.

Randstad has become the global market leader in HR services. The Dutch organization was founded in 1960 and has spread its wings around the globe across five continents and 38 countries.

Randstad is a strong value-driven organization. This culture, officially set out in 1977 as ‘to know, to serve, to trust’, still remains unchanged. It lives on because it is more than just a mission statement. Human Forward is our new promise to the world, launched in October 2017. With our brand promise we embark on a journey into the future. Shaping our new role and ensuring our position as industry leader. Our ultimate goal is to touch the work lives of 500 million people around the world by 2030. Our Tech & Touch strategy is an important pillar of our overall strategy in order to reach that goal and to maintain our leading role in the HR services industry for the years to come. We are a trusted human partner in today’s technology-driven world of talent.

You can watch the related video by klicking on the picture:

history timeline

1960     founded in The Netherlands

1990     randstad shares are listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange

1999     international network doubles via acquisitions in the US, Germany and Spain

2008     randstad and Vedior join forces becoming the 2nd largest HR services provider worldwide

2010     randstad celebrated its 50th anniversary

key figures

668,800 people we help to work every day

212,200 permanent placements

37,930   employees worldwide

4,858    offices in 39 countries

23.3      billion euro in revenue