At Sycamore Lighting, we understand the need for sustainable products and practices to meet the needs of our current customers & stakeholders, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
We have been offering a 100% LED lighting range since 2017, after phasing out our range of inefficient halogen products in favour of new and innovative LED lighting solutions that were not only affordable, but stylish & efficient too.
The amount of power used by an LED light source is significantly lower than a halogen lamp, for example, a halogen capsule could be 20W rated, whereas an LED cabinet light can be as low as 1.8W (e.g our Rimini LED cabinet light). Similarly, a standard GU10 halogen ceiling lamp can use up to 50W of power, and by switching to LED this can be reduced to as low as 5W.
Sustainable Operations
We are taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, by using fully electric or hybrid vehicles, and asking our employees to only travel to appointments where necessary. Virtual meetings are encouraged where possible, and correspondence is sent digitally to cut down on the use of paper materials.
The energy supplied to power our premises derives from a renewable source. The renewable electricity our energy partner supplies to us is REGO verified – that’s Ofgem’s Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin. It ensures for every unit of power supplied, a generator produces an equivalent amount of green electricity.
Our distribution partner, DPD also share our vision for a greener future. By 2025 they want to reduce their CO2 emissions per parcel by 30%, and they have committed to put the means and investments to achieve this goal. Their target is to deliver the 200 largest cities in Europe by 2025 with zero- and low-emission vehicles.
All carboard packaging we produce is recycled or re-used. Any cardboard packaging we receive from our manufacturers is re-used as our own packing materials, to protect our fragile products when shipping to our customers.
We are continually assessing our product packaging to cut down on the use of plastic, or any other unnecessary packaging component. We are also looking into future possibilities to reduce our packaging even further, such as creating digital instructions for our products to reduce the use of printed materials.
As part of our commitment to change, we recently liaised with our supplier of one of our fastest moving products, to reduce its packaging. Through product and packaging redesign we subsequently reduced the product’s packaged size by 50%, which increased the quantity required to fill a shipping container, therefore lowering the carbon footprint of each individual product. We are committed to implementing this where possible for all our product range over the coming years.
Our overseas suppliers are regularly visited to ensure, where required, third party audits are being carried out. This confirms that they are working to certain guidelines relating to ethical and environmental practices within their local area.
The future at Sycamore
Sustainability matters to us, and throughout the next two years we plan to conduct a full audit and implement a reporting system of our operating practices. This will further identify where we can improve, with a view to becoming net zero throughout our operations and supply chain by 2030, to help save our planet for future generations.
LED offers a considerable increase on lifespan compared to a halogen light source. LED can last for more than 30,000 hours, which when compared to the average lifespan of 2000 hours for a halogen lamp, offers an impressive solution to lower energy usage and diminishes the need for replacing and disposing of old lamps. Halogen lighting also loses 80 - 90% of its energy to heat emission,
whereas in LED that figure is reduced to just 10 - 20%.
LED products are non-toxic and can be recycled. SycamoreLED.com are members of the WeeeCare compliance scheme that ensures that members satisfy legal responsibilities as defined within the WEEE regulations.
The use of sensors can also cut down on energy usage, by switching lights off automatically when no one is around. We now offer a vast collection of sensors, switches, dimmers, and smart control systems, all of which contribute to our efforts with reducing the amount of energy required for powering our LED products.
We also have our own testing laboratory at our HQ in Leeds, allowing us to monitor the efficiency and lifespan of all our products, to ensure everything we offer continues to be as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible