Dutch lighting manufacturer Famostar has switched the housings of its O-Lux emergency luminaire entirely to a bio-circular polycarbonate, becoming what it says is the first emergency lighting manufacturer to make the move away from fossil-based plastic across its range.
Bio-circular polycarbonate is produced using raw materials derived from waste and residue streams, such as used cooking oil or other biogenic feedstocks, rather than crude oil. These bio-based inputs are processed alongside conventional fossil feedstocks in existing refineries, with the renewable share allocated to specific products through a certified mass-balance approach. The material itself, chemically identical to standard polycarbonate, carries an ISCC PLUS certification verifying that the renewable content has genuinely displaced fossil resources in the supply chain, even though the molecules in any individual product cannot be physically traced back to a single source.
For Famostar, the material of choice is Makrolon RE, supplied by Covestro. The company says switching from fossil-based to bio-circular attributed Makrolon RE cuts the plastic’s carbon footprint by more than 80 per cent, while still delivering the optical clarity needed for a premium light-diffusing luminaire.
The O-Lux itself is a fully integrated oval fixture that combines general lighting with emergency lighting in a single housing, aimed at architects and installers who want to avoid specifying and fitting two separate systems. It also offers glare control, flexible mounting options and an eight-year battery warranty. The luminaire is manufactured and assembled in the Netherlands.
Roderik Verbeek, account manager at Famostar, said the demand for the combined approach came directly from the market, with installers and consultants keen to integrate emergency lighting into standard lighting plans rather than treating it as a separate specification exercise.
Famostar says it is now expanding the use of the bio-circular material into further product lines.
• Learn more sustainable materials at a special session at Circular Lighting Live 2026, Recolight’s flagship conference and exhibition, which takes place on Thursday 8 October 2026 at the Minster Building in the City of London. Free to specifiers, Circular Lighting Live 2026 will feature leading experts, specifiers and policy makers who will share their insights into forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies and new business models. More at www.circularlighting.live
