Experts unveil ideas to tackle waste from Cat A lighting

A number of experts from across the supply chain are set to unveil their ideas for tackling waste from Cat A office lighting installations.

A lighting designer, an interior architect and a sustainability specialist from the interiors sector are among the participants in a Recolight-organised webinar titled Making Cat A fit-outs sustainable taking place at 11am on Thursday 18 May 2023.

Letting agents and landlords believe a quality Cat A fit-out helps close a deal on an office lease. But often, the incoming tenant replaces it with a bespoke interior, and the original fit-out is removed with little thought for where it ends up. Lights, carpets, ceilings and other material can end up as waste. How can we end this practice? In the webinar the experts explore practical solutions that could work for everyone in the building development chain.

The event will be introduced and chaired by Circular Lighting Report editor Ray Molony. Outlining solutions to the problem will be Arup senior lighting designer Alison Gallagher, fittings and interiors sector sustainability champion Flavie Lowres, interior architect and MF Studio founder May Fawzy and Recolight collections manager Francesca Cameron.

‘It is long overdue that the lighting industry and the wider real estate sector address the issue of waste from Cat A fit-outs,’ said chairman Ray Molony. ‘ While the big players unveil sustainability documents and net zero targets and all the rest of it, Cat A installations are still being ripped out of ceilings and perfectly good, unused lights are still ending up in skips. It is surely not beyond the wit of man to end this practice.

‘I’m delighted that we are bringing together such a stellar panel with some really interesting and exciting ideas which hopefully will go some way to minimising waste.’

• The Making Cat A fit-outs sustainable webinar takes place at 11am on Thursday 18 May 2023 and is free to all. Register HERE.

• Don’t miss Circular Lighting Live 2023, Recolight’s flagship conference and exhibition taking place on Thursday 21 September 2023 at the Royal College of Physicians in London. Free to specifiers, Circular Lighting Live 2023 will feature leading experts, specifiers and policy makers who will share their insights into forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies and new business models. For 2023, the organisers have moved to a bigger venue with more expansive exhibition floor and included a dedicated track for lighting designers. More info: www.circularlighting.live

Pic: Courtesy Pete Earle 2023