Towards Net Zero: High Quality, Low Carbon LED Lighting for a More Sustainable Built Environment
High quality, low carbon LED lighting is vital for creating a more sustainable built environment, moving towards net zero.
Sustainably produced lighting components help to lower buildings’ embodied carbon. They also reduce the carbon emissions of the supply chain involved in the construction, and operation, of buildings – whether the project concerns a new build or retrofit.
However, the potential of lighting to make this important contribution to the sector can only be realised if lighting systems are specified from a manufacturer with demonstrable, sustainable credentials. This is not just our view. It was the key message at the Lighting Industry Association’s recent Net Zero Conference* in London – an event that brought together over 200 specifiers, end-users and our industry peers.
Sourcing LED Lighting Products from a Manufacturer with a Demonstrable Commitment to Sustainability
As a leading lighting manufacturer, Tamlite has long championed sustainable, and more circular, lighting solutions without any compromise in quality.
Our approach is guided by a mission to be net zero by 2040, and the journey is well underway. In 2023, we achieved a carbon reduction of 13.5% (relative to turnover) and were re-certified by Planet Mark in recognition of our commitment to sustainability. We were also proud recipients of a 2023 Bronze EcoVadis Award.
This year, we are accelerating these efforts and have committed to becoming a Certified B Corporation.
This certification requires high standards of corporate social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we have appointed a dedicated Head of Sustainability and Social Value to champion net zero across our entire operations and further embed our ambition to be a positive impact on our people and communities.
Choosing High-Quality Lighting Products with Proven Sustainability Credentials
The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has created a suite of specific technical memorandums and a verification scheme to support circular lighting products. A circular approach to lighting is regenerative by design. This means the products have been designed with repair and serviceability in mind, as well as using materials that can be more readily reused, recycled or remanufactured.
CIBSE’s TM66 Assured Product Verification Scheme enables manufacturers’ circularity claims to be independently verified. At Tamlite, we are proud to have achieved TM66 certified status for 87 luminaires to date.
Furthermore, as a member of Made in Britain, Tamlite offers assurance of being a high quality UK manufacturer, using local suppliers and materials whenever possible in order to reduce freight and emissions – the overall carbon footprint of our luminaires.
For example, our CIRCA luminaire for the retail sector was specially designed for ease of maintenance and to make use of local resources. It won Energy Efficiency Product of the Year at the Electrical Review & Data Centre Review Excellence Awards 2023.
Tightening Compliance
The environmental footprint of buildings is under heightened scrutiny from regulators, investors, and insurers. This has spurred the development of stricter building performance standards, along with a surge in demand for certification programs. A prime illustration of this trend is the UK's ongoing development of its first Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS).
Set against this backdrop, interest in the specification of certified, more sustainable lighting products is only set to grow.
- When it comes to sustainability, Tamlite invests in and values every link in the supply chain. For more information about our approach to our environmental and social commitments, please visit our website.
*Tamlite Lighting is an active member of the Lighting Industry Association.
