Recolight, a UK not-for-profit compliance scheme for lighting waste recycling and sustainability, has announced the introduction of its Used Luminaire Certification service, designed to encourage and support the reuse of lighting products across the industry.
With sustainability and embodied carbon at the forefront of project priorities, this certification offers reassurance to developers, consulting engineers, and lighting designers seeking to specify second-life luminaires.
Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey explains that, “Many projects generate unnecessary waste by replacing relatively recent lighting products with brand new fittings.
“Reuse is the easiest mechanism to prevent this, extending product lifespans and lowering embodied carbon.”
Details of the certificate
The Used Luminaire Certificate, developed and operated in partnership with Simon Fisher, will include an opinion report on the likely remaining burn hours and lifetime of the fitting, as well as an estimate of the embodied carbon saving associated with reusing the fitting.
This independent assessment helps address uncertainty about the product’s remaining lifespan and embodied carbon.
The certificate is not a substitute for a warranty or CE marking, which may be supplied by a qualified contractor undertaking any necessary reconditioning – be it the original manufacturer or a specialist lighting remanufacturer.
Recolight’s initiative responds to increasing interest from building owners and specifiers eager to integrate circular economy principles into their projects.
With approximately 40% of global carbon emissions attributable to the built environment, reducing embodied carbon in lighting is an urgent industry challenge.
The new scheme aims to remove barriers to reuse, providing greater confidence to project teams and supporting compliance with sustainability targets.
It also offers documentation to demonstrate adherence to corporate or public sector carbon reduction commitments.
Nigel continues, “We’re seeing a real appetite across the industry to do more with what we already have.
“This certification gives professionals a practical tool to support reuse at scale, helping to normalise second-life lighting as part of mainstream specification practice.”
Simon Fisher adds, “This initiative helps provide confidence about the remaining life in pre-owned and pre-used luminaries and that their reuse will provide acceptable service life in new environments.”
Recolight will be piloting the certificate with several major projects in the coming months, with the intention of rolling out the service more broadly across the UK lighting market in due course.
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