ELC member companies account for 95% of lamps produced in the EU. Over the last two decades our companies have pioneered investments in environmental performance and sustainability and energy efficiency of all products for the European market, leading industry efforts in this field.

We work closely with national and European policy makers on a range of legislative initiatives. We also work with other industry associations to ensure that environmentally friendly design, production and end compliance is also at the top of their agenda. To assist our members in their own environmental efforts, we have a dedicated Energy and Environment working group, bringing together qualified experts from member companies to advise policy makers and other stakeholders on existing and future measures to promote energy efficient & environmentally conscious lighting.

For more information see our Did you Know fact sheet

The environmental impact of a lamp throughout its life cycle differs considerably to that of most products. Whereas the environmental impact of most products is spent during resource use, production, transport and disposal phase, lamps have the most environmental impact during their use phase - this can reach amounts up 90% depending on the lamp type. In fact, the Environmental Impact Assessment of a lamp - an inventory or environmental effects that result from all activities needed to generate a certain quantity of light - shows that it is the energy consumed during lamp use that causes the greatest environmental impact. We are working on a number of energy saving initiatives to help mitigate this impact and the wider impact of our products on the climate.

For more information see our Did you Know fact sheet.

Whilst the environmental impact of a lamp is most significant at use phase, improving the environmental performance of our product production throughout the whole life cycle is equally important. Some examples are outlined in the following sections.