Designing sustainable luminaires

Manufacturers of electrical equipment are increasingly being required to design products for reuse, upgradability, and recyclability.

In this webinar our panel discussed how luminaire producers can adapt their designs to encourage products to be reused at the end of first life, or at least to be more efficiently recycled.

• Ray Molony, Build Back Better Awards, began with an industry update; giving a nod to manufacturers who are embracing the circular economy.
• Simon Fisher, Founder & Director of F Mark –  shared experience of working with lighting manufacturers: ‘How to design a luminaire for the circular economy‘
• John Bullock, Publisher and editor at The Light Review gave an update to BS8887  – The standard driving compliance requirements for reuse and remanufacture of lighting fittings.

Ray chaired the panel discussion joined by:

• John Gorse, Technical Solutions Manager at Signify.
• Ruth Kelly Waskett, Senior Associate at Hoare Lea and President of the Society of Light & Lighting.
• Michael Colligan, Host of the Get a Grip on Lighting and Starving for Darkness Podcasts and President of Waste Diversion.
• Zoltán Pilter, Product Regulatory Compliance Leader of Tungsram Group in the EMEA region.
• Nigel Harvey, CEO of Recolight.

Comments from our panel:

Global commitments on sustainability and carbon for the future are essential but we have to wait for them to be realised. This series of Webinars has shown what lighting can actually do right now without restrictive costs or new mandatory legislation. Smart LED technology is low capex, easy to install, and when applied correctly is sustainable, circular and immediately cuts emissions that have a real impact on slowing and stopping temperature rise and climate change.
John Gorse

Embedding end of life management into the design of our products is a signal that our species is becoming more intelligent.  It is something we have never done before but is critical to a future free of pollution.
Michael Colligan

The natural conclusion to creating a circular economy for fixtures is to ensure that there is a route for those fixture to enjoy further lives after the original installation.
John Bullock

The shift towards a circular economy in lighting is a challenge but also a great opportunity. For specifiers, this is our time to take clients and collaborators on the journey with us, to awaken an appetite for re-use and re-purposing of luminaires. For all of us, there is an opportunity to re-assess our relationship with lighting, that could lead to a greater appreciation of it, and a greater understanding of the real cost of making a new luminaire.
Ruth Kelly Waskett PHD CENG MCIBSE FSLL

Its clear that there are many challenges to overcome to achieve a truly circular lighting industry. However, there has never been a better time to embrace circularity in terms of client awareness of the environment and the need to make significant changes. I’m delighted to have been involved in this webinar series from Recolight. It really have enabled the debate.
Simon Fisher FSLL

The transition to lighting for the circular economy is shaping up to be as profound and disruptive as the transition to LEDs in the 2000s. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the challenges – and opportunities – it will generate.
Ray Molony

And a few takeaways from the discussion:

• The lighting industry must engage and educate all stakeholders. We need to change the mindset and make the offering attractive to end users
• Repairing products:
  • Repair Cafes/shops are being used by consumers, can this be extended to a business model.
  • Maintenance companies could reinvent themselves, instead of simply changing a lamp, could look and upgrading parts too.
  • Manufacturer could offer xx year repair contract for fittings.
• New standards will introduce a minimum amount of recycled material to be used in new product.
• There is an element of risk in assessment of products– need to be assessed on project-by-project basis.
• Older fittings had a value – LED fittings became cheaper – we need to embed end of life value. Would a deposit system incentivise purchasers?

Download slide pack for Designing Sustainable Luminaires