Future Designs says its remanufacturing initiative is set to double

The UK’s biggest lighting remanufacturer says that it’s set to double the turnover from reconditioning and upgrading projects this year.

Future Designs is projecting that its remanufacturing arm – dubbed the ‘carbon careful’ initiative – will grow from 11 per cent of its revenues in 2024 to 23 per cent this year.

The Kent-based company says it has now upgraded lighting at over 4 million square feet (371,000 square metres) of office space in UK under the ‘carbon careful’ banner. It’s now planning to roll out the scheme to continental Europe and the Middle East.

Recently Future Designs remanufactured some 6,000 office luminaires at a building in London Bridge, pictured. This saved the production of 7.9 tons of mild steel and reducing energy and carbon by 61 per cent.

Future Designs chief executive David Clements told the Circular Lighting Review: ‘The carbon careful initiative could be described as a best kept secret, as a hugely efficient design and manufacturing business we have always endeavoured to keep waste to a minimum, and now as the world is faced with a growing necessity to refurbish, re-use and restore wherever feasible,  we are sharing our story and expertise to encourage more organisations to follow suit.’

The firm has produced a carbon careful™ book which showcases a range of examples from leading blue-chip organisations, many in the City of London.

‘LED has been the lighting medium of choice for over 10 years now but there are still millions of old fluorescent fittings being used to illuminate space,’ says Clements. ‘By switching to LED, energy and carbon usage can be reduced by circa 50 per cent, coupled with the reuse of mild steel and aluminium, the savings are significant.

‘LED has a far greater lifespan, and its ‘solid state’ makes it easier to dispose of, without the risk of harmful gases such as mercury found in fluorescent lamps making it better for the environment.’

Projects in the carbon careful initiative include a major refurbishment of Shell’s London offices, where all office lights, as well as special heritage luminaires, were removed, upgraded and refurbished.

• Learn more about sustainable lighting at Circular Lighting Live 2025, Recolight’s flagship conference and exhibition, which takes place on Thursday 25 September 2025 at the Minster Building in the City of London. Free to specifiers, Circular Lighting Live 2025 will feature leading experts, specifiers and policy makers who will share their insights into forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies and new business models. More info: www.circularlighting.live