Lighting in Design Q2 2023

Ed Space

resulted in an emphasis on “extended producer responsibility” legislation, such as the Directive 2000/53/EC of the Euro pean Parliament on end-of-life vehicles and Germany’s End-of-Life Vehicle Act of 2002. Designing for disassembly involves a number of considerations, including the selection of materials and fasteners that can be easily disassembled without damage, the use of standard parts that can be easily replaced, and the elimina tion of adhesives or other materials that make disassembly difficult. In addition, designing for disassembly requires careful planning and testing to ensure that the disassembly process is safe and efficient. The goal of designing for disassembly is to create products that can easily be disassembled and recycled, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and conserving natural resources. This approach is particularly important in in dustries such as electronics, automotive, and construction, where products can be complex and difficult to disassemble. To overcome this hurdle, manufactur ers should plan in reverse. Imagine that your design is going to be taken apart before you even plan on how to put it together. Looking at the materials to see which will be the easiest to remove and make the demolition process as smooth as possible will enable you to choose the best reusable materials there are. Are lighting manufacturers actively practicing DfD? It would be interesting to hear if any local companies are.

The circular economy and lighting is nothing new. In fact, Lighting in Design published an article in 2019 by Henk Rotman, IESSA Gauteng Branch Chair and Tridonic Business Development Manager, where he explained that prod ucts are designed to prevent waste and optimised for a cycle of disassembly and reuse. Any product design has to take many things into account: it must do what it is supposed to do, meet relevant safety (and performance) standards, be easy to produce, meet cost targets, etc. The circular economy adds an extra dimension to product design, as the product needs to be designed for ser viceability, which is the ability to extend both the technical and the economic lifetime of the product. Recently I came across another term: designing for disassembly (DfD) This re fers to the practice of designing products or systems in a way that makes it easy to take them apart at the end of their useful life or for maintenance purposes. DfD is an important aspect of sustainable lighting and circular design. This design approach aids the recovery and recycling of materials and components, and reduc es waste and the environmental impact of products. DfD is a growing topic within manu facturing industries as greater attention is devoted to the management of the end-of-life of products. This need is driv en by the increasing disposal problems of large amounts of consumer goods, and the resultant pollutant impacts and loss of materials resources and energy that is embodied in these products. In Europe, in particular, constraints on the production of waste and pollution have

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LiD Q2 - 2023