Lighting design practice is first to set TM66 target

A major lighting design practice has set itself a target of achieving a minimum TM66 circularity rating of 2 for at least half of the luminaires it specifies over the next six months.

Nulty – which has offices in London, Dubai, Miami, Bangkok and Pune – said that ‘the time had come for action’ on climate change.

It’s believed to be the first design house to set a specified target in this way.

Technical Memorandum 66, or TM66, is a measure of how well a luminaire fits into the circular economy. It was devised by the Society of Light and Lighting, the lighting arm of Cibse, and has achieved a wide degree of recognition and acceptance in the industry.

A TM66 rating below 0.5 is given to a luminaire with ‘very poor circular economy performance’; a score between 0.5 and 1.5 indicates ‘some circular economy functionality’; one between 1.5 and 2.5 shows ‘definite or substantial progress to circularity’, while a number between 2.5 and 3.5 shows the fitting has ‘excellent circularity’.

Nulty already requests TM66 scores for every luminaire that it specifies on our schedules.

In a blog post on its website, the practice said: ‘We’re all aware of how important the circular economy is to global climate change. The issue is top of the agenda and we’re all talking about it, but it’s clear that the time has come for action.

‘In the lighting design world, this means making strides towards circular economy principles – as quickly as possible.

‘We need to adopt a more holistic approach to our designs and build an accurate picture of the whole life cycle of a product.

‘It’s a challenge that we wrestle with daily as we wade through reams of data to understand design, materials, manufacturing, distribution, and repair, and work creatively to find ways to repurpose or recycle a fitting at the end of its life.

‘It’s a big task, but fortunately we’re seeing a new level of collaboration across the lighting community and a concerted effort to share knowledge and move forward as an industry.’

• 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