Green light: how your LED lighting helps to improve sustainability
Unfortunately, there is no big green button that will make your company more sustainable. Instead, many individual, small-scale measures are required to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve your sustainability targets.
Workstation and machine lighting can contribute to this over the entire life cycle. Which aspects play a role? Why is it worth purchasing modern LED lights and systems? How can you optimise your lighting to improve sustainability?
The new EU Ecodesign Directive
The EU Ecodesign Directive defines minimum requirements for the environmentally friendly design of energy-related products. In 2024, the existing directive was further tightened up and extended.
In relation to lighting products, it regulates the following, among other things:
- Energy efficiency requirements (e.g. minimum light output in lumens per watt)
- Product information requirements (e.g. information on service life, luminous flux, colour rendering)
- Requirements for dismantling and recyclability
- Limits for certain pollutants
As of September 2021, only LED lamps in energy efficiency classes A, B and C are permitted to be sold in the EU. Halogen lamps, fluorescent tubes and other inefficient light sources are no longer permitted.
Resource-saving production
A luminaire’s sustainability does not begin when it is switched on, but much earlier – during its production. For example, when choosing its materials. Aluminium, for example, can be recycled completely without any loss of quality and with a far lower energy input compared to obtaining it new. Today, plastics can also be made to a large extent from recycled materials. Substances that are harmful to the environment should be avoided wherever possible.
Manufacturers can also do a lot to keep their luminaire production environmentally friendly:
- Energy-efficient machines and systems
- Use of renewable energies such as solar power
- Optimised processes to prevent waste such as foil or adhesive residue
- Reuse of packaging material in the cycle
If you have to prepare sustainability balance sheets, the emissions from upstream processes are included in your Scope 3 emissions. Choosing an ecologically conscious manufacturer helps you to reduce your own footprint.
The energy efficiency of modern LED technology
When it comes to energy efficiency, LED luminaires are the first choice today. Compared to conventional light sources such as incandescent lamps or fluorescent tubes, they use up to 90% less electricity. While incandescent lamps “waste” around 95% as waste heat, LEDs convert 50–60% of the energy into light. An additional benefit: LEDs reach their full brightness immediately after being switched on – without any warm-up phase or flickering.
Intelligent lighting control systems also enable the lighting to be adjusted precisely to actual requirements:
- Presence sensors only switch the light on when someone is actually in the room.
- Daylight control dynamically adjusts the brightness to the available daylight.
- Zoning enables different lighting levels in different areas of a room.
- Time control switches the lighting on and off at preset times.
Needs-based lighting solutions such as these can often significantly reduce energy consumption even further – without compromising on light quality.
According to figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA), lighting accounted for around 15% of global electricity consumption in 2018. When considering that billions of lights are in use, even small savings can really add up.
Long service life saves resources
LED luminaires score points with their exceptional longevity. While fluorescent lamps have to be replaced after around 9,000 to 18,000 hours, high-quality LEDs last up to 100,000 hours – equivalent to over 25 years when lit ten hours a day!
For your company, this means far less effort and lower costs for maintenance and lamp replacement. This is an enormous advantage, especially in hard-to-reach areas, with high ceilings or where lights are installed in machines.
The long service life also has ecological advantages:
- Less waste due to less frequent replacement
- Lower consumption of resources for manufacturing and transporting new light sources
- Reduced energy consumption for maintenance and servicing
But be careful: not all LED products deliver what they promise. Pay attention to quality when buying and ask the manufacturer to confirm the service life.
According to the EU Ecodesign Directive, manufacturers are also required to ensure that their products can be dismantled and repaired using generally available tools. Spare parts must remain available for a certain time after the end of production. This reduces unnecessary electronic waste. At Led2Work, we sometimes repair our customers’ luminaires even after they have been in operation for more than 5 years.
Reducing light pollution
One often overlooked additional aspect of light sustainability is “light pollution”: the excessive, artificial brightening of the night sky through undirected or incorrectly used light. This has a detrimental effect on nocturnal animals and human health. It also wastes energy.
You can avoid light pollution by consciously controlling your outdoor lighting. Limit the intensity and duration of the lighting to the bare minimum. Modern LED systems with precise light guidance and intelligent control systems can minimise unwanted scattering and significantly reduce energy consumption.
Disposal and recycling
If the LED light does become obsolete at some point in the distant future, it should be possible to dispose of and recycle it properly. The lights contain valuable materials, which are far too good to throw away.
LED luminaires, for example, contain electronic components as well as plastics and metals. In accordance with the European WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), these must be collected and recycled separately. Special collection points and take-back systems exist for this purpose.
Manufacturers also play a role when it comes to an environmentally friendly end to the product life cycle. Some rely on modular designs in which individual components can be easily replaced and reused. Others establish their own take-back programs and handle recycling themselves.
Light and health: the social aspect
Sustainability is often primarily associated with protecting the environment and conserving resources. However, the concept is far more holistic and also includes social aspects. As part of the ESG criteria (Environmental, Social, Governance), the focus on the responsibility of companies towards their employees and society is growing.
What does that have to do with workplace lighting? Light is not just about energy efficiency – it also has a significant impact on people’s health, well-being and performance. Good lighting can boost concentration and motivation, reduce fatigue and errors, and even prevent illness long term.
Investing in a high-quality, ergonomic lighting solution is therefore a way that you as an employee show you care. It also pays off economically, as this article on the effects of lighting in the workplace shows.
Consider purchasing integrated lighting
Sustainable lighting is a win-win situation for companies: it conserves resources, saves costs and promotes employee health. By choosing sustainable manufacturers and using LED systems wisely, you can significantly reduce your ecological footprint.
However, many of the lights in your company come pre-installed in purchased systems or machines. You have no direct influence on these. And not every manufacturer has taken the issue seriously so far. If sustainability is important to you, make sure to include this aspect when speaking with and choosing your suppliers.
