Lighting products as part of the circular economy and strategies that affect it. A literature overview.

Abstract

In general, for the last 150 years, linear economy dominates the society. A model in which products are made from raw materials recovered from the environment, used, repaired, and finally disposed of in landfills. The environmental impact of the linear economy gave rise to the concept of the circular economy. This paper aims to provide a literature overview that presents ways that lighting products can participate in the circular economy, and define the role and effect that specific strategies have on the design, production, use and end-of-life of lighting products. In this new model of circular economy, lighting products participate with specific strategies that help reduce the waste that eventually leads to the environment and also to conserve natural resources. These strategies are R9=Recover, R8=Recycle, R7=Repurpose, R6=Remanufacture, R5=Refurbish, R4=Repair, R3=Reuse, R2=Reduce, R1=Rethink and R0=Refuse. In recent years, many manufacturing companies that design and manufacture lighting products in the initial design of their products now use circular economy strategies. Also, independent scholars, agree on the necessity of using circular economy, since its benefits can reduce the environmental impacts, energy, and emissions and finally to reduce or even eliminate the waste that eventually leads to the environment