October 18, 2023   

100 Lighting Products Now Have Declare Labels

Above: Q-Tran WURM Bend. Photo courtesy of Q-Tran

We list them all, from A-Light to Zumtobel. The healthy materials movement highlights industry's momentum towards eco-conscious choices.

The world of commercial and architectural lighting is seeing continued growth in the commitment to sustainability and transparency. Since our last Declare label feature article in April 2022, there has been an impressive leap in the number of Declare label lighting products, underlining an evolving material transparency landscape.

Significant Growth in Declare Labeled Lighting Products

From our 2022 report, where we observed 34 lighting products in CSI Division 26 of the Declare label database, that number has now almost tripled. Today, there are 100 lighting products registered, representing an impressive increase of approximately 194% in just 18 months.  And with some lighting products likely being listed outside of the Declare database CSI Division 26, the grand total may actually exceed 100.

Yet, while this growth is notable, the electrical and lighting category adoption of Declare labels still lags behind other construction material sectors. For perspective, the flooring segment boasts hundreds of Declare-labeled products. But this disparity isn’t unexpected. Given the sheer physical volume of lighting products in commercial building projects compared to other building materials categories like ceilings, wall coverings, and flooring, this makes sense. As an architect friend recently quipped, "For every dumpster of LED lighting products removed during a commercial project renovation, there might be 10-15 dumpsters of flooring material."

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So the lighting category may be less impactful to overall building sustainability, but it’s definitely a significant part of the material transparency conversation.

Understanding Declare and the Material Transparency Movement

As detailed in our April 2022 article titled, The Material Transparency Movement Gains Momentum, the Living Product Challenge (LPC) identifies itself as the epitome of product sustainability standards. Within this framework, the Declare initiative operates as a transparency platform, striving to revolutionize the materials marketplace.

Declare labels have been likened to nutrition labels for products – but for building materials. Manufacturers voluntarily provide comprehensive product data in these labels, which are color-coded to highlight potential chemicals of concern. These labels also furnish details on the product’s assembly location, longevity, disposal options, and its alignment with the Living Building Challenge (LBC) requirements.

The Declare database, accessible and free, is a resource for designers, property owners, and informed homeowners aiming for eco-conscious choices. Products in this database meet the prerequisites of certain green building standards, encompassing Core Green Building, LBC, LEED and WELL Certifications.

Manufacturers’ Perspective on the Movement

While many manufacturers embark on the journey towards sustainability, the road is not without challenges. Gean Tremaine, President of Q-Tran, shared, “We didn’t want to dip our toe in, it was important to be all in and get labels for every lighting product we manufacture. It was a big commitment and continues to be a focus. We’ve completed Declare labels for every line launched this year.”

Yet, the reward is worth the effort. Tremaine and others have shared that in the pursuit of a Declare label, manufacturers engage in rigorous processes. They embark on months-long projects, rallying every vendor to comply. The industry sentiment resonates with the belief that as more pressure is applied, suppliers will grasp sustainability's significance and pivot to eco-friendly operations.

Inherently, LED products are better for our planet. But sustainability doesn’t stop there. Beyond material transparency, manufacturers like Q-Tran and others are delving deeper into sustainability ventures, including pursuing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

The Road Ahead

While the lighting industry's interest in Declare labels is on the rise, its adoption among designers hasn’t been widespread. Inquiries are mainly stemming from sustainable-focused markets like major Northeast US cities, large California markets and other progressive cities like Seattle.

The journey might remind some of the gradual adoption of LEED projects from 15+ years ago. Just as LEED took its time to gain widespread traction, the embrace of the Declare label might also be a simmering recipe that needs more time to fully bake. Yet, as Melissa Mattes from architectural design firm, Sladen Feinstein, told us in 2021, "Manufacturers want to do the right thing; they don't want to be producing toxic products... Once they start realizing the importance of the work, they want to be a part of the movement."

As the world becomes more eco-conscious, the lighting industry's trajectory towards transparent and sustainable choices will likely continue to flourish.

List of Declare-labeled lighting product families in CSI Division 26 of the LBC database     (as of October 2023):

Click on column heading to sort ascending/descending

Source:  https://declare.living-future.org/

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