LIGHTING & LIGHTING CONTROLS Lighting the way to sustainable buildings R


As the built environment moves towards Net Zero, building services professionals must turn their attention to sustainable lighting installations. Looking beyond energy efficiency alone, in this article Nick Gwilliam, lighting designer at Ansell Lighting, explores the wider environmental factors that should be addressed, from embodied carbon and repairability to circularity and product lifespan


educing the environmental impact of the built environment is one of the most pressing challenges that building services professionals face. As we work towards creating Net Zero


buildings and achieving broader Net Zero targets, reducing carbon emissions is becoming a number one priority. For this to be truly effective, this means considering


much more than energy consumption alone and looking at the environmental impact of buildings, products and materials throughout their entire lifecycle. For lighting, this means looking at how products


have been designed and manufactured, the materials used, ongoing maintenance and repair and whether components can be reused, recovered or recycled. In other words, it means focussing on solutions that keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, reducing waste and minimising the need for new resources. All of these stages have a carbon impact and contribute to the overall environmental footprint of a lighting installation. In practice, finding such solutions is much easier


than it sounds. Manufacturers are well aware of their responsibilities when it comes to sustainable lighting, and many have been investing heavily in new product development to ensure they meet increasing requirements. As a result, there are now many more sustainable products available, and plenty of information available to help building services professionals understand the environmental credentials of the lighting products they specify and to help them choose the most appropriate solutions. One such area to consider is in relation to


embodied carbon. Embodied carbon refers to the emissions generated from raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, installation and end of life processing, and is a key indicator of a product’s whole-life environmental impact. Embodied carbon is usually documented within Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which give a clear understanding of the environmental impact a product has throughout its lifecycle. These documents should be reviewed when comparing and specifying lighting products. This measurement is particularly important when


you consider just how many luminaires can be installed within a single building, and that some may need replacing more than once over the building’s lifetime. Choosing products that last longer, and can be maintained rather than replaced, can therefore make a real difference to the building’s whole-life carbon impact.


Another area building engineers should consider


carefully in relation to sustainability is product design. Look for products that are futureproof, adaptable and offer longevity if requirements change. Lighting manufacturers have focussed heavily on this area and there are now ranges of luminaires available that can be easily updated with clip on modules and accessories such as emergency or microwave sensor functionality which help to upgrade the product rather than requiring whole product replacement. This prolongs the life of the components in place and reduces the volume of unnecessary waste. Materials should also be considered as part of this.


Products that incorporate recycled materials, use fewer raw materials and can be recycled at the end of their life, are extremely important and make a valuable contribution to reducing the overall carbon and environmental impact of a lighting installation. Packaging should also be considered here. Manufacturers are working hard to reduce plastic in packaging, alongside minimising cardboard use by shredding and recycling used cardboard to create new packaging and complete the circle. Building professionals should look to choose manufacturers who are committed to these practices and who use recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible. Repairability is something else building services


professionals must consider. To be truly sustainable, building services professionals need to move away from a ‘replace and dispose’ mindset to one of ‘repair and maintain’. They should look to specify lighting solutions with replaceable components so that products can be fixed and upgraded when required, rather than completely replaced, which results in additional waste and the extra carbon associated with manufacturing and transporting a replacement product. There’s now an array of modular products available with replaceable parts, such as drivers and light


24 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2026


engines, which can be changed individually in the event of a part failure. This helps extend the useful life of the luminaire, reducing unnecessary whole- product replacement and the use of added resources in the supply chain. In addition, some manufacturers will back up their product quality claims with on-site warranties to support this ‘repair not replace’ ethos – offering repair services on registered products. A great indicator of a sustainable product is TM66


accreditation. TM66 is a framework that assesses the circularity of lighting products and those products bearing the TM66 Assured mark have been certified as meeting the necessary standards. Look out for products carrying this verification when specifying. Whilst it is important to note that there is more to


sustainability than energy efficiency, of course, it still plays a huge part in reducing the environmental impact of lighting and must be carefully considered. LED technology is the most efficient mainstream source of lighting and therefore high-efficiency luminaires should be prioritised wherever possible to ensure energy consumption and associated operational carbon emissions are kept to a minimum. Adding automation tools such as smart control systems, occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting and automated dimming can further heighten energy savings and operational efficiency, by helping to ensure lighting is only used when and where it is needed. Ultimately, sustainable lighting is about bringing


all of these considerations together. Energy efficiency remains essential, but it should sit alongside embodied carbon, circularity, material use, repairability and longevity when products are being specified. By taking this whole-life approach, building services professionals can reduce both the operational and embodied impact of lighting, keep products and materials in use for longer and help move buildings closer towards genuine Net Zero.


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