Whitecroft Vitality delivers accessible circular lighting solutions for the built environment, working in partnership with its customers to achieve circularity.
The lighting industry contributes significantly to the amount of non recyclable waste going to landfill each year as well as significant energy consumption. At the same time, public organisations and businesses alike want sustainable, efficient and cost effective lighting solutions.
Whitecroft Vitality is a circular economy solution that works in partnership with manufacturing partners and customers to create circular lighting solutions for the built environment.
Whitecroft Vitality was the first manufacturer involving electronics to achieve the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard. Its achievement was due to the efforts made by the company to work with its own supply chain to facilitate a truly circular product.
Whitecroft’s circular lighting products deliver across 3 areas:
Design & Manufacture in a circular way (with independent accreditation): consideration of material health, supply chain optimisation, modular & upgradable, disassembly & upgrade with ‘material passports’ and a general reduction in materials used.
Highest Through Life Utility: services offered include condition monitoring, upgrades & maintenance, material passports.
Regeneration and Recovery: ability to refurb, re-sell, re-distribute, and as a last resort, recover.
Partnership is key to the growth and success of Whitecroft Vitality which works clients to provide circular solutions with win win outcomes:
2 examples in Evidence of Success.
Resources needed
Whitecroft Lighting is a well established and innovative business with no public subsidy. Securing publicly procured contracts however is to some extent enabling the CE aspect to thrive.
Evidence of success
Cheshire Police Authority Headquarters: Work commenced on a lighting upgrade, reusing existing fittings, increased functionality, efficiency and a healthier work environment:
2 tonnes saved raw materials;
retrofitted lights £30 cheaper per unit to manufacture than new;
23 watts energy less per unit;
1.5 tonnes ‘packaging’ reduction.
Re-Light Manchester Town Hall:
2,350 lighting products regenerated;
Saving 56 tonnes CO2;
Energy reduction 44%;
16 similar projects delivered.
Difficulties encountered
Lack of understanding by potential clients of CE; Architects, cost and price & understanding of the long term value; More CE education of the business community and society is required, currently focus is on net zero carbon, not CE; Lack of required CE Specifications in tender documents
Potential for learning or transfer
Whitecroft Lighting is a member of the Fagerhult group, a global network of lighting manufacturers, with over 4,900 employees in 30 countries worldwide. With Whitecroft Vitality innovation stemming from Greater Manchester, far beyond just the manufacturing of lighting, there will be the potential for learning across this group of businesses in other territories.
Key to much of the success of the projects carried out by Whitecroft Vitality is the relationship with public sector procurement and tenders and opportunities to influence public procurement opportunities to include circular aspects will aid the transfer of similar projects to other areas.
A greater understanding of Circular Economy both in general terms as a concept and also the long term business case potential for businesses and other organisations to make savings and reach carbon targets over a number of years would also speed up the potential for transfer, as will working with supply chains.
Tags: Advanced manufacturing, Circular economy, Energy efficiency, Manufacturing, Public procurement, Recycling, Resource efficiency
