Creating light for a better life by switching to recycled aluminium

Reaching Net Zero carbon emissions in our operations by 2030 is a top priority for Glamox, and we’re highly committed to making that happen. We’re continuously on the lookout for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and that of our customers. That’s why we have begun the switch from virgin to recycled aluminium in some of popular luminaires for professional buildings. We have already implemented the planned switch for our new C80 G2 luminaires and are preparing to extend it to other families.

Recycled aluminium is created by re-melting the scrap metal – a less expensive and energy-intensive process than manufacturing new aluminium by the electrolysis of aluminium oxide, which must first be mined from bauxite ore and then fired. Switching to the recycled variant of the raw material in the C80 G2’s has allowed us to achieve significant savings amounting to 546 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.

“We’ve already implemented the plan to shift over to recycled aluminium in the manufacture of our popular C80 luminaire, which will result in a 63% reduction in CO2 equivalents over using virgin aluminium in these profiles,” explains Birger Holo, Technical Director in the Professional Business Solutions branch of Glamox. “By adding two new product lines, we estimate that we will eliminate a total of 1,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents each year, which equals the amount of carbon sequestered by nearly 1,200 acres of forest a year.”

The Glamox C35 and C95 LED luminaire ranges are earmarked to be the next products to join the Glamox C80 luminaire range in using recycled aluminium. All three product lines are manufactured in Keila, Estonia. Together they represent around 400,000 products sold yearly, using a combined 300 tonnes of aluminium.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are committed to helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprint and for us to achieve Net Zero operations by 2030. It’s not enough providing energy-efficient LED lighting, we must ensure that every facet of our operations and supply chain minimises our environmental impact,” said Viktor Söderberg, Business Development Director, who heads up the company’s sustainability programme.