At Kemps, we’re focused on the future of lighting. With the industry shifting towards a focus on the circular economy – including limiting waste and moving toward a repair and reuse model – we want to assure our customers that we’re doing all that we can to ensure the efficiency of any new products we design.
What is a circular economy?
A circular economy is one in which manufacturers design products to be reusable. It aims to reject the linear, consumer economy in which products are used then thrown away. In a circular economy, waste is cut by ensuring that products are designed to be as long-lasting, and as easily repaired, as possible.
In many cases, products that would usually be thrown away or recycled can be refurbished and used again. Reusing products is great for the environment – it uses far less energy and materials than recycling and prevents perfectly good and usable products from being wasted.
Our commitment
Currently, the lighting industry operates on a largely linear basis. This means that products are constantly in production, with new source materials being sourced regularly – an approach that is unquestionably damaging to the planet. That’s why we’ve begun taking steps towards a more efficient and less wasteful way of operating.
Last year, we became members of the Lighting Industry Association (LIA). The LIA is committed to helping its members share industry expertise and knowledge, while also keeping on top of compliance. As an organisation, they’re committed to the circular economy and are constantly pushing for a more sustainable and less wasteful way of operating – something that we stand behind as a business.
Part of our membership means that we have access to the LIA’s testing facilities. This means we can assess our prototypes and get vital information about efficiency and performance stats, which ultimately helps us improve and clearly market our products.
TM66 guidance
TM66 is a Technical Memorandum, or memo, put out by the Society of Light and Lighting. Entitled ‘Creating a Circular Economy in the Lighting Industry’, TM66 highlights the main aims of a circular economy, how it can be achieved and what it means for the industry.
We aim to use the information circulated in TM66 going forward in our lighting production. Here are some of our main takeaways from the memo:
- In recent years, the shift towards using LED rather than conventionally lamped luminaires has made an undeniable contribution to reducing energy consumption. However, these lights are often unmaintainable, with no way to replace or fix the LED should it fail – meaning the light often gets scrapped.
- We need to move away from the linear economy that follows a ‘take, make, use, waste’ model. This model assumes we have infinite resources to extract and ignores the damaging impact on the planet that waste has.
- While clearly preferable to wasting, even recycling isn’t a perfect solution; all this does is slow down the point in which luminaires are disposed of.
- Product designers and manufacturers are an important link in the circular economy chain and make decisions that have a big impact.
- Repairable luminaires are a great way forward and are a good, environmentally friendly alternative to models that are eventually thrown away.
Luminaire reuse service
Our luminaire reuse service champions the principles of a circular economy, highlighting our commitment to reusing and refurbishing products rather than letting them go to waste.
There are a number of ways we can help you update your old light fixtures. We can:
- Redesign a new LED light source.
- Produce accurate reports to meet the Lighting Association’s regulations.
- Refurbish and improve the finish of old luminaires, making them look new.
- Deliver the finished product straight to your sight for installation, with a new 5-year warranty.
This service means we’re able to encourage the reuse of hundreds of luminaires that would otherwise be thrown away or recycled, at a reduced cost to both the individual and the planet.
Moving forward, we want to continue to take steps to adopt the principles of a circular economy. We aim to learn all that we can about how to limit waste and take steps towards shifting to a repair and reuse model in our manufacturing, following all the appropriate guidance available.
If you have any questions about our luminaire reuse service or want to find out if we can help you with energy-efficient lighting, we’d love to chat. Get in touch.
