US lighting brand Lucifer Lighting has unveiled a version of its best-selling downlight made from recycled marine plastic recovered from waste fishing gear.
The company has redesigned its Atomos downlight series—now renamed Atomos Renew—so that all plastic components are made from reclaimed ocean-derived material. The feedstock consists largely of discarded fishing nets and line, which are processed and remelted for use in injection moulding.
Lucifer Lighting says this marks a significant step for the architectural lighting sector, as it believes it is among the first U.S. manufacturers in this category to move recycled ocean plastics into full-scale production rather than limited trials.
According to the company’s chief of staff, Roselyn Mathews, the switch required a complete reworking of parts of the supply chain. She noted that while the goal was environmental improvement, the transition was not straightforward and came with unexpected complications, including early production samples that carried an unusual residual odour from the recovered materials.
Speaking to Dezeen magazine, she highlighted a key industry challenge: unlike virgin plastics, which are produced under tightly controlled conditions, recycled ocean waste varies in composition and consistency, making it harder to achieve stable manufacturing tolerances. Developing a material suitable for precision lighting components therefore required extensive testing and adjustment rather than simple reprocessing of waste.
The company acknowledges that the shift may slightly reduce profit margins for the Atomos Renew line, but says the environmental trade-off was prioritised over financial return. Management described the decision as part of a broader commitment to sustainability in product design and manufacturing.
After years of attempting to secure a reliable supply stream, Lucifer Lighting integrated the recycled material directly into its standard production workflow.
Over the first year of production, the initiative is expected to redirect almost 500 kilograms of abandoned fishing nets—equivalent to several million feet of line—away from marine environments.
The Atomos Renew fixtures retain the same core functionality as previous versions, including adjustable beam control and dimmable LED performance, but now with housings derived from recycled marine waste.
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