A new collection of luminaires made almost entirely from meltable wax is challenging conventional ideas about lighting materials by demonstrating how products can be designed to be remade repeatedly rather than discarded.
Created by Dutch design practice Baguette Studio, the Wax Lights collection uses a specially developed blend of natural waxes that can be melted down and recast into new luminaires at the end of their life. Instead of being recycled into lower-value products, the material is intended to circulate indefinitely in a closed loop.
The concept follows circular economy principles by treating the luminaire as a temporary form rather than a permanent object. If a fitting is damaged, falls out of fashion or is no longer required, the wax can simply be melted and poured into a new mould to create an entirely different design.
The studio says the material has been engineered to provide the strength and stability required for lighting applications while retaining its ability to be reshaped. The luminaires are paired with replaceable LED light sources, allowing the electronic components to be separated from the wax body when maintenance or upgrades are required.
Unlike many decorative luminaires that combine multiple bonded materials, the wax construction also simplifies disassembly and reduces waste at end of life.
The collection explores the idea that lighting products do not have to retain the same appearance throughout their lifespan. Instead, the material itself becomes the long-term asset, while the form can evolve as tastes, interiors and requirements change.
Although currently aimed at the design market, the project highlights how renewable, bio-based materials could play a greater role in future lighting products, particularly when combined with design strategies that enable continual remanufacture rather than one-off recycling.
As the lighting industry looks beyond recyclability towards true circularity, projects such as Wax Lights offer an intriguing glimpse of products designed to remain in use indefinitely through continuous transformation.
• 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 info: www.circularlighting.live
