Insights · Technical paper
Justification for Remanufacture in the Lighting Industry
The 2021 technical paper making the case for remanufacture in lighting — co-authored by EGG Lighting and the University of Strathclyde.
In 2021, our Circular Design Engineer Tom Ruddell co-authored a paper with Aineias Karkasinas, then a PhD researcher at the University of Strathclyde, making the technical and economic case for remanufacture in lighting. It was written before BS 8887-221:2024 existed — before there was a national standard for luminaire remanufacture at all — and much of what it argued for has since become industry direction.
We've kept it available because the argument still holds. Remanufacture returns a used product to at least its original performance, with a warranty equal to a new equivalent. The paper sets out why that matters for lighting specifically: a WEEE collection rate sitting below 10% of what's placed on the market, the value lost when a working luminaire is treated as scrap metal, and the design decisions that determine whether a fitting can be remanufactured at the end of its first life or only recycled.
If you want the underlying reasoning behind how EGG works — not the sales version, the engineering-and-evidence version — this is it.
What the paper covers
The technical, economic and environmental case.
The state of circularity in UK lighting, and why current collection rates fall short. How remanufacture differs from recycling, reuse and repair — and why it's considered the highest technique in the circular economy. The design factors that make a luminaire viable for remanufacture. Evidence from automotive, aerospace and other sectors where remanufacture is already established. The three operating models for remanufacture, and the barriers, drivers and benefits specific to lighting.
Read the full paper below, or download a copy.
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