Tamlite Eliminates 51 Tonnes Of Plastic Waste As Part Of Circular Economy Strategy
Tamlite Lighting has eradicated more than 51 tonnes of plastic from its operations over the last four years, the equivalent to well over 1 million plastic bags.
The leading independent lighting manufacturer has also reduced consumption of new plastics by an impressive 80% - down from 14.5 tonnes in 2020 to 2.7 tonnes - rewarding its efforts in this key environmental area.
The move to eliminate plastics from its operations is part of the Midland-based company’s award-winning circular economy strategy. For many years it has sought to move away from the traditional linear resource consumption model, towards designing out waste, maximising value, improving maintenance, and returning materials into the cycle at the end of their lives.
In order to make such substantial savings, Tamlite’s dedicated luminaire design team has taken steps to ensure that the amount of plastic used within its products has also been reduced and through innovative design are also making strides to futureproof luminaires and expand their longevity. One such example is its ‘Solar’ luminaire, where the design team were able to re-engineer the existing design of the product, meaning no additional cost and resource of starting a whole new design.
The company has also completely removed plastic packaging from a number of products, including the batten and flat panel lighting ranges. With sales of these involving very substantial quantities of fittings every year, the savings rapidly add up. As it steps up its circular economy approach, Tamlite has switched to card/paper-based packaging – materials that are already made of 100% recycled materials – and paper-based tape instead of vinyl so that all the packaging components are recyclable.
Tamlite Lighting Head of Wellbeing Debbie-Sue Farrell comments: “As a responsible manufacturer, we take pride in leading by example when it comes to tackling climate change and protecting natural resources. Across our operations and processes we have embraced a circular economy approach where possible to reduce our impact on the environment. Reducing our reliance on plastic, as well as other non-recyclable materials, is an important part of our strategy going forward. The results speak for themselves as we make real strides towards being a more sustainable manufacturer.
“Sustainability across our operations will remain a major focus for us as we are committed to providing our customers luminaires that have been built with care, diligence and quality at their core.”
