SHOW PREVIEW
CLOSING THE LOOP This October, London is set host what’s being billed as the lighting industry’s biggest sustainability event. Ray Molony reports on movement that’s going from strength to strength.
An instant success on its debut in 2022, Circular Lighting Live has become the defining gathering of the supply chain to assess its progress towards net zero.
‘The future has arrived but it’s not evenly distributed’, declared William Gibson. The cyberpunk author could easily have been talking about the lighting industry and sustainability. It’s fair to say that luminaire makers are on a spectrum, not dissimilar to the early days of LED adoption back in the 1990s. Many have well-established environmental plans in place and will cheerfully deluge you with data about the provenance of their luminaires. Others are just embarking on their journey towards net zero. But what’s clear is that the mass movement has begun and it’s gaining momentum. Phrases like ‘remanufacturing’, ‘circularity’ or ‘embedded carbon’ are becoming common
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currency, and lighting designers are having serious conversations with clients about reusing luminaires. What’s also remarkable is the number of companies who say that they gained enormously from beginning their sustainability journey. Far from being a burden, gathering and analysing data on their processes such as their energy use and their supply chain has helped them identify waste and potential cost savings. In some cases, the savings are dramatic. Furthermore, no brand is expressing regret at implementing environmental policies or signing up to an environmental accreditation such as B Corp.