Launch of the Sustainable Optical Fiber and Cable Industry Alliance (SOFIA)

Together with our valued partners Borealis, Covestro, Heraeus, Nextrom, and Umicore, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Sustainable Optical Fiber and Cable Industry Alliance (SOFIA), an initiative to promote sustainability in the optical fiber and cable sector.

SOFIA aims to foster enhanced collaboration, clear communication, and standardized methodologies, to support the transition to a more sustainable future.

SOFIA initiative key objectives and focus areas:

• Creating transparency and common understanding: The industry often lacks clear information and a unified understanding of the sustainability of optical fibers and cables. SOFIA aims to address this gap.
• Improving industry communication: We strive to clarify communication regarding progress towards greater sustainability, providing stakeholders with better transparency on future developments.
• Developing standardized assessment methods: Various methods for specifying carbon content can lead to uncertainty in their application and the resulting published values. SOFIA is working to establish consistent assessment standards.
• Accelerating the transition: We support practices that foster a steady and controlled transition to more sustainable products within the industry.

Events

Together with our SOFIA partners we invite participants from the industry to join our effort to promote sustainability. At the following events we will outline the SOFIA goals and share our first idea for a working model. We’ll start by briefly sharing our individual experiences. 

• September 17, 2024, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. CET
  Webinar organized in collaboration with CRU.  Click here to rewatch the webinar.
• October 10, 2024
  Panel discussion at the CRU World Optical Fibre & Cable Conference, Shanghai, China.
• October 17, 2024
  Panel discussions at the IWCS 2024 Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum, Providence, USA.

Join our events, share your feedback and be part of the discussions. Together we can accelerate the industry's transition towards more sustainable practices.