SPONSOR CPD PROGRAMME Continuing professional development (CPD) is the regular maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, to maintain professional competence. It is a requirement of CIBSE and other professional bodies. This Journal CPD programme can be used to meet your CPD requirements. Study the module and answer the questions on the final page. Each successfully completed module is equivalent to 1.5 hours of CPD. Modules are also available at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd Building confidence in a luminaire circular economy This module explores assessing and certifying lighting fixtures for circular economy alignment, and highlights the advantages of assured certification This CPD article aims to examine the practical assessment and certification of lighting fixtures that focuses on their compatibility with the principles of the circular economy to foster product sustainability, stimulate design improvements and innovation, and establish trust among consumers. Reportedly, there are around two to four million tonnes of lighting waste generated globally each year. This includes incandescent, fluorescent, and LED lamps, as well as lighting fittings and luminaires. Many of the discarded lighting products ultimately end up in landfill or incinerators, where they can release harmful pollutants into the environment. There are a number of things that can be done to reduce the amount of lighting waste generated, and one key aspect is ensuring that products are holistically as sustainable as practicable. By ensuring that they are compatible with the circular economy, they will preserve value in the form of energy, labour, and materials.1 And, as reiterated in the recent review paper by Grigoropoulos,2 which examines the life-cycle assessment of luminaires, the optimal pathway to enhance sustainability primarily lies in the initial design stage of lighting products. A circular economy, as illustrated in Figure 1, provides an alternative to the traditional linear economy, in which products are made, used, and then discarded. Products, components and materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible, by designing for durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling, thereby reducing waste and pollution. Specific examples of how the lighting industry can adopt circular principles include the following: Evolving products that use less material while delivering life-cycle sustainability Designing products that are easy to disassemble and remanufacture Selectively employing materials and methods with low embodied carbon Prudently recycling materials back in to the manufacturing process Offering accessible take-back programs for used lighting products Educating consumers about the importance of recycling and reusing lighting products. As explored more fully in CIBSE Journal CPD 204,3 CIBSE TM65 Embodied carbon in building services: a calculation methodology provides an introduction to whole life carbon and embodied carbon, and notably also includes a method to assess the Figure 1: The circular economy model (Source: CIBSE TM66:2021) www.cibsejournal.com October 2023 43