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Closing the loop
With an ambition to become truly circular, our goal is to establish an authentically sustainable approach to our product lifecycles. Following a long and fruitful lifespan, we strive to ensure that our 3D printed lighting products are not wasted, but reused, repaired, refurbished, or recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.
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Easy disassembly
As part of our design principles, we adhere to a set of rules that promote sustainable assembly practices. Instead of relying on glue, potting, and excessive use of screws, we prioritize the use of turn-and-click components. This not only simplifies the assembly process and improves repairability but also ensures that our products can be easily disassembled.
In line with our commitment to End-of-Life recycling, we provide clear disassembly instructions for each product series. This empowers recyclers to effortlessly separate the various components and direct them to the appropriate waste streams, facilitating efficient recycling processes.
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Collection & recycling
We are fully compliant with the European WEEE directive (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment). We actively participate in national Collection and Recycling Organizations (CROs) to ensure the safe and environmentally friendly disposal of our products after End-of-Life.
Moreover, in North America, we have forged our own partnership with a reputable recycling company, demonstrating our dedication to preventing our End-of-Life products from ending up in landfills as much as we can.
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From waste to wonder
Promoting sustainability in 3D printing has led us to test recycling End-of-Life printed parts. This way, we can create a filament that can be used to print new components, reducing waste and conserving materials. Initial tests have shown promising results, highlighting the potential of this recycling method.
However, we recognize that our current End-of-Life flow is relatively small and irregular. This poses a challenge as traditional recycling processes require a consistent and significant flow of materials.
To overcome this obstacle, we are actively exploring alternative applications for our End-of-Life printed parts. One such avenue is the temporary utilization of these parts in the production of other products, including furniture and sculptures.
Test cases - recycling EOL printed parts
We have conducted tests on various stages of the End-of-Life process for our printed parts. Explore our current case studies below to learn more.
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Technical feasibility
We have successfully developed a process to fully recycle End-of-Life (EOL) shades and turn them into quality filaments for printing new shades. In a pilot project with our partner Polymaker, we demonstrated the feasibility of transforming EOL shades into 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) filament, which has been reformulated to compensate for the material degradation during use and recycling. New luminaires have been printed using this filament and found to be of good quality compared to those printed with virgin materials, with no printing artifacts observed. This achievement allows us to effectively close the loop on EOL PC shades, which we will implement once our existing luminaires in the field reach their end-of-life stage.
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Return process
In collaboration with the Dutch Collection & Recycling Organization Stichting OPEN and an external shredding company we have tested the return process by recycling the shades of End-of-Life (EOL) luminaires into filament for printing new shades. The EOL shades were transported from a DIY shop to the shredding company, where they were processed into granulate and sent to our filament factory. Despite encountering unexpected color contamination and particle size issues, we were able to create a filament that produced high-quality products with no printing artifacts. This case study revealed additional regulatory requirements for shipment and processing of used materials.
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Disassembly & alternative use
Together with the Belgian consultant Material Mastery we tested the disassembly of our End-of-Life (EOL) luminaires to harvest the printed parts for recycling. We identified social partners for both Belgium and The Netherlands to execute the disassembly. Learnings for easy disassembly are now included in our design rules for new products. As the EOL material comes available in small batches, we searched for an alternative use of this material. This resulted in an opportunity for 3D printing furniture and sculptures via an XL printer. We created an Award made from EOL luminaires shades to close the loop.
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