ESG Update: Time to Pack in Sustainable Packaging? Never!
When people think about sustainability in lighting, packaging might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But behind the scenes, it plays a bigger role than you might expect – both in protecting products and in reducing our carbon footprint. For the past couple of years, our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) team has been rethinking how we package our products.
In this blog, we share how we’ve evolved our packaging to be more environmentally responsible, the challenges we’ve faced along the way, and why this work is far from over. When it comes to sustainability, there’s always more we can do.
“Just switch to recyclable packaging materials and job done!”
Who said that?? The reality of making a highly functional packaging process more sustainable is a bit more complex than that! Packaging isn’t just something to unwrap and throw away - it has a purpose. It protects goods in transit, provides key information for wholesalers and electricians, and helps products arrive in perfect condition. That’s why any changes we make need to balance sustainability with practicality.
Our Commitment to Sustainable Packaging in Action
We’ve been committed to providing more sustainable packaging to our customers since launching our packaging project back in 2021. Since then, we’ve reviewed the packaging of every single ROBUS product with a clear goal in mind: remove plastic materials wherever possible, increase recyclability and recycled content, and/or reduce the packaging size to cut down on waste.
We’ve made improvements across the majority of the ROBUS range—without compromising on packaging quality or risking damage to our products. But how do we make sure of that? One example is how every potential change goes through rigorous drop testing to check the stability of the packaging. (And yes, drop testing is exactly what it sounds like!)
What’s The Result of Our Packaging Improvements?
By our last count, we reduced plastic packaging by 22% from Q4 2023 to the same period in 2024. That’s 1.3 tonnes of plastic saved in just one quarter in the UK alone!
Balancing Practicality and Sustainability in Luminaire Packaging
A key part of the project has been reviewing our best sellers and the products with the highest plastic usage, helping us focus on the areas that would make the biggest impact. This has led to packaging redesigns such as the ones below.
SPEAR
SPEAR packaging was designed to be hung in wholesalers with blister packs to showcase the fitting. However, when we analysed the packaging, we found that the blister pack was not easily recycled and had weights between 26.4g and 63.6g of plastic for the range. A solution was proposed – a cardboard biodegradable box with a small plastic film to protect the fitting.
This resulted in an average 96.8% reduction in plastic for this product!
GOLF, GOLF CCT3, GOLF MODULAR
One of our best-selling ranges is GOLF and these products previously came in a PE bag to protect them from scratches. However, this was 9.5g of packaging per product and larger than required to protect the fittings. To reduce the weight of the packaging but keep the product protected from scratches, we made the decision to add a small plastic film that sits on the top of the diffuser dome, protecting it from any friction in transit.
Now this packaging weighs just 0.5g, a significant plastic weight reduction of 94.7%.
VEGAS EXPRESS
VEGAS EXPRESS was originally released with paper packaging and at the time of release this was the most environmentally friendly solution we could identify. However, removing plastic and adding paper is not always the most sustainable solution! After more research, it was discovered that the paper packaging, while biodegradable to a point, may be more difficult to recycle as it contained an aluminium foil which could not be easily separated from the paper outer material. VEGAS EXPRESS is often used in residential areas, so we decided that we needed a solution that could be recycled in domestic premises.
Can you guess what we landed on? The solution was a PE bag made from 100% certified recycled material that can also be recycled kerbside! This is a reminder that sometimes even if a package looks more sustainable, it is important to check its sustainability credentials. It is not about what looks most sustainable, it is about which is best for the planet.
Our ESG Journey Continues
These packaging updates are just a few examples of how we’re making real, measurable progress towards more sustainable practices at ROBUS. But this is by no means the end of the story. As materials, technologies, and recycling capabilities continue to evolve, so will we. Our ESG team is constantly reviewing how we can do better - whether that’s reducing plastic even further, improving recyclability, or rethinking the role packaging plays in getting our products safely to you.
When it comes to sustainability, there’s no finish line. There’s always more we can do - and we’re committed to doing it. Thanks for following along on our journey. Keep an eye out for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable lighting.
