Creating a circular economy in lighting

Over the last decade there has been a laser-like focus on in-use lighting energy efficiency, driven both by economics (a return on a lighting investment delivered by reduced energy costs), and increasingly, the move to low or zero carbon buildings in the face of man-made climate change.

The result has been a boom in replacing conventionally-lamped luminaires with LED versions. However, energy efficiency (output efficiency) of individual luminaires is but one narrow measure of lighting’s sustainability.

LEDs have made a huge contribution to reduced energy consumption, but the move to LED has come with consequences. It has created the unmaintainable luminaire, with little or no provision to replace either the light engine or driver on failure; product life-cycles have become shorter and more complex; and the consequences of “offshoring” production to countries that extensively use fossil fuels, especially coal, in their power generation (and then shipping those luminaires and/or components on long sea or air freight journeys), is severely damaging to the environment.

Consequently, CIBSE has produced TM66. See PDF of full story at Creating a circular economy in lighting