The Cascade Flex Family luminaire has replaceable components and reduced plastic content
The industry-wide focus on cutting embodied carbon in lighting makes Whitecroft’s win in the CIBSE Building Performance Awards category particularly impressive. Judges praised the manufacturer’s cradle-to-cradle (C2C) approach to lighting design and its commitment to reducing embodied carbon in its products
The accolade acknowledges Whitecroft’s exceptional efforts to address embodied carbon alongside the operational carbon savings associated with LED lighting.
Five years ago, the company embarked on a transformative journey to rethink the design, manufacture and life-cycle of its lighting products. While LED technology brought significant energy savings during operation, Whitecroft recognised the need to address the carbon impact of its products across their entire life-cycle.
‘We realised that the impact goes beyond the operation of our products; it extends into the design and manufacture, and who we are as a business,’ says Tim Bowes MSLL, head of academy at Whitecroft and closely associated with its sustainability strategy.
The shift led the firm to embrace circularity as a core design philosophy and it has spent the past five years finding ways to reduce the materials used in its products and replacing glues and adhesives.
‘We questioned the amount of material we used, how much we needed, and where it came from,’ says Bowes. ‘Our designs now minimise screws and eliminate adhesives, making them easier to maintain, repair and recycle.’
Whitecroft’s Cascade Flex Family (CFF) luminaire is designed with replaceable components and drastically reduced plastic content, and has cut embodied carbon by 46% over a 40-year lifespan compared with standard flat-panel luminaires.
‘Standard industry flat-panel luminaires contain significant amounts of plastic and are often replaced during a building’s life-cycle, increasing embodied carbon,’ says Bowes.
‘The CFF, however, uses 67% less plastic – equivalent to 68 plastic bottles – and has a replaceable central cartridge that can be refurbished and reused multiple times.’
Whitecroft also prioritises local sourcing, with components such as the CFF’s pods tooled in Oldham, just five miles from its factory. This reduces transportation emissions and supports the local economy, aligning with the company’s circular economy principles.
Whitecroft is the only UK lighting manufacturer to have achieved C2C accreditation, a globally recognised standard for sustainable product design. This certification rigorously evaluates materials for toxicity, environmental impact and social fairness, while ensuring products can be recycled or repurposed at the end of their life-cycle.
‘C2C certification gave us the framework to verify that what we were doing was good,’ says Bowes. ‘It provided the granular product data we needed to develop Environmental Product Declarations [EPDs], which are vital for industry transparency.’
Based on a life-cycle assessment, EPDs provide verified information on the environmental impact of a product. Whitecroft has achieved EPDs for all of and will be provided for all NPD products going forward. By using tools such as One Click LCA software, the firm is paving the way for more efficient, cost-effective EPD creation.
EPDs also give clients critical data on embodied and operational carbon, enabling more informed decision-making. ‘Our EPDs help customers map out whole life carbon impacts, ensuring savings are achieved,’ says Bowes.
Whitecroft continues to enhance operational carbon efficiency through smart lighting controls, such as its Organic Response system, which dynamically adjusts lighting based on natural daylight. Pre-set dimming modes further optimise energy use when the building is not being used fully.
With the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy mix, embodied carbon will account for an increasingly significant proportion of whole life carbon. ‘We need to continually innovate to reduce impacts, operationally and in terms of materials,’ says Bowes.
In addition to product innovation, Whitecroft educates the industry on embodied carbon and circular design principles. With CIBSE accredited environmental CPD sessions, it shares insights into low carbon lighting design, the circular economy, smart buildings, and on repurposing existing spaces with its Relight programme.
Relight extends the lifespan of lighting systems by refurbishing and redistributing components, reducing waste and emissions. ‘This approach is fundamental to achieving net zero’ says Bowes. ‘We’ve invested heavily in this journey because we believe it’s the right thing to do – for our business, our customers, and the wider industry.
‘Embodied carbon is harder to calculate for complex products such as lighting, but it’s essential. Our mission is to lead from the front and demonstrate what’s possible.’
A new initiative from Whitecroft is the Bright Futures Academy, aimed at addressing the skills gap in the industry while fostering internal and external development (see panel, ‘Bright future’). Internally, the company emphasises a robust training culture to develop its workforce. By focusing on training, development plans and opportunities for growth, the company aims to instil its core values – committed together, curious creators, and aiming higher.
Bright future
Whitecroft Lighting’s Bright Futures Programme, launched initially in partnership with construction and facilities management company BAM, aims to enhance understanding of product selection and sustainability.
‘We worked very closely with BAM and several of its partners, bringing in 18 to 20 graduate – and apprentice-level individuals,’ explains Bowes.
The programme included a two-day event at Whitecroft, featuring team-building activities, an introduction to Whitecroft operations, and insight sessions on topics such as lighting design, sustainability, and product development. The interactive structure of the programme allowed participants to take on roles within project chains, enhancing their understanding of product selection and decision-making. A follow-up took place in the autumn, and the initiative is designed as a 12-month programme, offering access to Whitecroft’s learning management system for ongoing training.
Sustainability is a core theme, with monthly courses and multiple touchpoints throughout the year.
The academy also works to unify training across departments, ensuring all employees understand how their roles align with customer needs. ‘By understanding better how our customers work, we can deliver the right solutions,’ Bowes says.
Broader industry challenges, such as rapid technological shifts and sustainability demands are also tackled by the academy.
‘The industry is trying to catch up with rapid changes, from sustainability and net zero goals to smart buildings and data analytics,’ says Bowes, ‘but with the right education and innovation, we can meet these challenges.’
