IES LP-10-20

The IES and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) define sustainable lighting design as “meeting the qualitative needs of the visual environment with the least impact on the natural environment.” Many lighting design professionals associate environmental impacts only with energy use, primarily because energy considerations are so dominant in lighting. The life cycle of a lighting system comprises stages or phases, beginning with the extraction of raw materials and including all stages of material processing, equipment and component production, transportation, use, maintenance, and end of life. Therefore, it is important to consider impacts from all phases of a product’s life cycle when assessing environmental impact. The intent of this document is to introduce the topic of sustainability, present its elements, and explain how it affects the design of lighting in process and product.