An industry initiative to redistribute surplus luminaires for social benefit has put out an urgent plea for financial assistance.
Donate-A-Light, which has already diverted almost 12,000 lights from recycling and landfill to community projects, has unveiled a sponsorship model to raise funds to continue its work.
The not-for-profit organisation, which won a prestigious Build Back Better Award in 2025, is inviting manufacturers and suppliers to support it with tiered funding ranging from £2,500 to £10,000.
Co-founder Dave Fear says patrons who back it would be demonstrating genuine CSR and ESG leadership and be part of a practical circular solution for surplus lighting.
‘Our ambition is for Donate-A-Light to become the conscience and trusted outlet of the lighting industry,’ says Fear. ‘This ensures that surplus products are put to good use, not waste.’
The Donate-A-Light initiative creatively bridges the gap between the lighting industry and underfunded sectors that could never otherwise afford high-quality LED upgrades.
Its mission is, it says, rooted in a simple belief that everyone deserves the comfort, safety and dignity that good lighting brings, regardless of their financial situation.
The scheme directly improves the quality of life for society’s most vulnerable, reducing running costs for charities and care providers while enhancing safety, comfort and wellbeing through better lighting.
It’s free to end recipients, funded through generosity, corporate sponsorship and the sale of surplus products.
Projects assisted by Donate-A-Light include hospices, care homes, community centres and church groups.
Donate-A-Light transforms surplus into solutions, stock into sustainability, and light into lasting legacy. The executives behind it believe it is a ground-breaking example of how the lighting industry’s waste can help illuminate lives, communities, and the future.
Product donors to date include 18Degrees, Sylvania, eEnergy, Future Architectural Lighting, iGuzzini, Legrand, Aurora, Trilux and Kosnic. Logistics help is provided by Whitecroft Lighting.
• Learn more about sustainable lighting 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. Search ‘Circular Lighting Live’
