EGG won the Circular Economy Award in 2024 for their Lighting Remanufacturing Service, a circular and successful business model which turns old lighting into a new product that is usable again, and even superior.

By moving to remanufactured lighting and offering lighting as a service instead of a one-use product, the judging panel recognised EGG in their efforts to offer a disruptive model that can save businesses money and reduce carbon emissions. The judges also commended them for the scalability of their business.

A bright idea, making old lighting reuseable

Remanufacturing is the most advanced technique in the circular economy. It is an industrial process that produces new products from a combination of used and new components.

In 2022, EGG first launched their Lighting Remanufacturing Service, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The process takes used lighting equipment and through their repair and remanufacturing experts, promising to return it to an as-new state or better.

EGG’s remanufacturing process has been developed around the BS8887-200 Design for Manufacture, Assembly, Disassembly and End-of-life Processing.

EGG take used, defective products from suppliers and spend time inspecting, redesigning and remanufacturing the components to provide a product that can be electrically installed. When the team receives a used product, they first disassemble it, inspect it and assess whether it is suitable to be remanufactured. Early on in the journey, EGG worked with University of Strathclyde to set up a decision-making framework for remanufacture, to help them and other organisations understand what is suitable for remanufacture.

In 2023, EGG introduced their first lights specifically designed for remanufacture. These future-proof lighting systems are built to last and provide businesses with a one-stop solution for lighting and electrical needs.

Sustainable while saving 30-40% in customer costs

EGG Lighting’s remanufacturing approach has had a tangible impact on the environment, particularly through its reduction of embodied carbon and material waste.

By early 2024, the company has remanufactured 1,417 luminaires, which reused 4,900 kg of materials, and saved 65.6 tonnes of embodied carbon. These savings were meticulously measured using CIBSE’s TM65 methodology, providing a transparent and reliable account of the environmental benefits achieved.

In the last two years, EGG Lighting reused over 1,000 products, and in doing that, kept 3.6 tonnes of materials in circulation, keeping scope three emissions down by reusing materials over virgin materials, plastics and metals. Their process prevents precious material from reaching landfill, while also reducing demand for new raw material use.

Furthermore, this reuse approach implemented by EGG is 30-40% cheaper than an equivalent new product, increases energy efficiency to 80%, uses 70% reused materials and gives a 50% carbon reduction.

By saving customers money, EGG is proof you can create a sustainable business model that gives the customer a cheaper product, better sustainability, all while still being fully UK certified.

A scalable business model

The success of EGG Lighting’s circular economy model is not limited to environmental impact. It is also a commercially viable and scalable business model.

Their panels are not only being adopted in current projects but are also setting the stage for future UK-manufactured lighting products designed for remanufacture.

EGG Lighting has seen consistent demand throughout 2024, with high-profile projects like the Kelvingrove Bandstand illustrating the practical application and success of their products.

The Kelvingrove project, for instance, involved the remanufacture of 112 spotlights, leading to significant reductions in material use and embodied carbon, all while maintaining the historical integrity of the venue.

At the St Andrews Student Union, EGG Lighting's remanufacturing efforts reduced embodied carbon from 38.1 kgCO2e (new) to 14.3 kgCO2e (remanufactured) per spotlight.

Going forward

EGG Lighting is uniquely positioned to accelerate the adoption of remanufacturing in the lighting industry.

EGG won the 2024 Accelerate to Zero Circular Economy Award, after being shortlisted in 2023, in recognition of their efforts creating circular products that address the urgent need for sustainable solutions but also scalable businesses which work.

Brian O'Reilly, CEO of EGG Lighting, says: "In light of all the fantastic initiatives being developed around sustainability in Scotland, being recognised by BE-ST in the Accelerate to Zero Circular Economy Award category is a real honour. Congratulations to our team for this success, and to all the other winners and finalists for your hard work and commitment to this important field – thank you."