In a multiple dose of environmental awareness, LED lighting vendor Glamox AS has added a family of toughened outdoor wall luminaires which are made partially from recycled aluminum, are designed for reuse, and which carry DarkSky International certification on at least one model.
Glamox designed the new O21-W line as a durable offering that can withstand physical punishment such as vandalism or errant soccer balls on school playgrounds.
The Oslo, Norway company has positioned the O21-W for use in illuminating perimeters and entrances outside commercial and public buildings. Early customers include the Manchester Royal Infirmary in Manchester, England, and Beaulieu Village Primary School in Brockenhurst, England.
“The luminaire can withstand up to 20 joules of impact — the equivalent of having a 5 kg ball (about 11 pounds) dropped from a height of 40 cm (about 16 inches) — enough to withstand school playground knocks and all but the most persistent vandal,” a Glamox spokesperson said.
The durability comes from a mix of new and about 45% recycled aluminum, using a die-casting process which, although not as tough as extruded aluminum, can still be rugged.
The O21-W line marks the latest example of Glamox’s push to use more recycled aluminum in light fixtures, an initiative it launched early last year starting with its C80, C35, and C90 lines.
It’s part of the company’s plan to reach net zero, which last month received validation from the London-based Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
Other lighting companies have also upped their efforts in aluminum recycling. Sweden’s Fagerhult, for instance, has teamed with a Swedish metals company to melt and reshape aluminum from reclaimed Fagerhult luminaires.
In another aspect of the “circular” product ethos in which materials or whole products move on to further use, Glamox designed the line to facilitate longevity of the luminaires and reuse of their parts.
“The luminaire is made to be disassembled so that parts may be replaced to prolong the luminaire’s life or reused or recycled at the end of life,” the spokesperson said.
On a different environmental front, the luminaires prevent light from pointing up to the night sky. Glamox added optics to one model that further restricts spillage, thus mitigating light pollution and earning certification from Tucson, Ariz.–based DarkSky as suitable for nighttime use. That model is dimmable and has a color temperature of 3000K, compared to 4000K for the other editions in the line.
DarkSky works to prevent light pollution, which bleaches out the view of stars and replaces dark skies with skyglow — created in populated areas when scattered outdoor light bounces back to Earth after hitting clouds and particles. Light pollution also harms ecological systems and human health.
The O21-W line includes a variety of lumen outputs, sizes, sensor, and control options. Glamox is manufacturing it in Basingstoke, England, and selling it across Europe.
Prices range from £205 ($260) to £499 ($632) per luminaire.
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Mark Halper | Contributing Editor, LEDs Magazine, and Business/Energy/Technology Journalist
Mark Halper is a freelance business, technology, and science journalist who covers everything from media moguls to subatomic particles. Halper has written from locations around the world for TIME Magazine, Fortune, Forbes, the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian, CBS, Wired, and many others. A US citizen living in Britain, he cut his journalism teeth cutting and pasting copy for an English-language daily newspaper in Mexico City. Halper has a BA in history from Cornell University.
