The lighting industry has a waste problem. Most lamps are manufactured from virgin materials, shipped internationally, sold, used for a few years, and then discarded. The environmental cost of that cycle, across billions of households, is significant.
Reclaimed material lighting offers a different model. Here is why it matters, and what to look for.
The problem with conventional lamp manufacturing
Standard lamp production draws on newly extracted materials: mined metals, virgin plastics, and glass manufactured from raw silica. Each step carries an environmental cost. Add international shipping and short product lifespans into the mix and the picture worsens further.
New Zealand and Australia import the vast majority of their home lighting. That means long supply chains, significant carbon miles, and no visibility into how the products were made or by whom. Read more about what to actually look for in eco-friendly home lighting.
What reclaimed material lighting does differently
Reclaimed lighting starts with materials that already exist. Glass rescued from demolition, timber salvaged from renovation waste, hardware repurposed from industrial contexts. The manufacturing energy is dramatically lower, because the material has already been produced once.
At Lumo Bloc, we source vintage glass blocks from New Zealand building demolitions. These blocks were manufactured in Germany in the 1970s and 80s and installed in bathrooms, commercial entries, and stairwells across the country. When buildings come down, the glass would ordinarily go to landfill. We intercept it before that happens. Read the full story in how reclaimed glass becomes a lamp.
Zero overproduction
Every Lumo Bloc lamp is made to order. We hold no stock. When you place an order, your lamp is built for you specifically. This means no unsold inventory, no clearance waste, and no production that outpaces demand.
To date, over 3 tonnes of glass has been diverted from New Zealand landfill through Lumo Bloc lamps. Each lamp represents roughly 2.5kg of material that would otherwise have been lost.
What to look for in sustainable lighting
- Material provenance - Where does the material come from, and what is its pre-consumer history?
- Made locally - Local manufacture reduces supply chain emissions and supports regional craft.
- Made to order - Production that matches demand eliminates overproduction waste.
- Durability - A lamp built to last 10 years is more sustainable than three cheaper lamps that each last three. Read more about why handcrafted lamps are worth the premium.
Lumo Bloc lamps come with a 12-month warranty and are built from materials designed to last decades. The glass blocks in our lamps were already 50 years old when we found them.