This CPD webinar covers the need for a Circular Economy and describes an ideal one. Legislation and guides relevant to the lighting industry are outlined. Circular Design principles are examined related to luminaire design, materials, manufacturing and ecosystem. As a coda the Circular Economy is put into a wider environmental impact assessment context.
Presented by Roger Sexton, Business Development at Stoane Lighting
Chaired by Kevin Ramsay IEng MILP, ILP Scotland and Scott Pengelly EngTech AMILP, ILP VP Products
Q&As
Is there not now an argument that European countries should give weighting to European OEMs, given the general social, environmental, and geo political advantages of such organisations, rather than non-European suppliers?
For me the main point is localisation – i.e., specifiers pick manufacturers local to a project or with local agents accredited to carry out repairs or upgrades. I mentioned in the Q&A session that the proposed EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will be added to tax high-carbon imports, such as steel and cement. This is designed to stop carbon leakage which occurs where industries subject to a carbon price lose market share to competitors where the carbon price is lower or non-existent. EU importers would have to buy carbon certificates corresponding to the carbon price that would have been paid had the goods been produced under the EU’s carbon pricing rules.
The commission is proposing a CBAM for imports in five sectors, namely iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers and electricity. The proposal points to it later expanding to more sectors. Here are the complete details: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/carbon_border_adjustment_mechanism_0.pdf
I found this a good summary: https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2021/12/16/a-brief-explanation-of-the-cbam-proposal/
Talking of second hand cars, they have gone up in price due to demand, do you think a second hand lighting market could be profitable and convenient?
I don’t know much about this but might the second hand car price increases of the past year be because of scarcity in the new car market? Thanks to the combined impacts of Covid related factory shut downs, component shortages (microchip availability – partly also resultant from Covid factory shut downs but also due to a huge surge in demand across many sectors for microchips) and a slight hiatus in the motor industry as manufacturers shift emphasis from combustion engines and focus efforts on getting electric versions to market. My suspicion is that the second-hand car market has thrived despite the modern auto model (increasingly geared towards attractive leasing models), not because of it. Let’s see what happens to second-hand traditional car prices once electric vehicles become the norm and become readily available. I wonder if lighting hasn’t already gone through its big tech upheaval (LEDs) and is levelling out, just as cars go into theirs (batteries). Ironically, yes I do see lighting finally moving towards more of a local garage and repair model, just as cars move further away from it.
I think repairing luminaires, or remanufacturing them, will indeed be a profitable and convenient part of our lighting market, helping with material conservation and lessening GHG emissions. As I mentioned during the Q&A session, I think legislation and government initiatives will be a spur but also rising public awareness of environmental issues – I gave some examples ranging from Social Media coverage to prominent figures like David Attenborough making it their cause célèbre to major companies making pledges to adopt carbon reduction targets.