Sustainable Illumination

How to achieve circularity in store lighting

By Addy Oluyemi

Sustainable retail is on the rise as calls for eco-friendly strategies become louder from consumers, shareholders and employees. Yet according to Boston Consulting Group, only a few large retail operations are significantly reducing their climate impact or embedding sustainable behavior throughout their own organizations.

Retailers looking to drive change, specifically in their stores, should embrace a circular lighting approach. It can help maximize the reusability and extension of the lighting installation, enabling them to incrementally reduce their environmental impact and enhance the shopping experience for customers at the same time.

Closing the Loop

Achieving store sustainability is no easy feat. It starts by understanding how our production system must transform. There are three business models commonly used in our economy:

• Linear – products are designed to be used and disposed at the end of life;

• Recycling – at the end of life, some materials are recycled and reused in the same or different use chain; and

• Circular – maximize the (re)usability, serviceability and upgradability of products to preserve value and avoid waste.

According to a recent, WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) report, we use 1.8 times the volume of resources that our planet can sustain. Continuing the linear model of “take-make-dispose” indefinitely is impossible, as it will become increasingly more wasteful and challenging to source our finite materials. The time to shift from a linear economy to a circular economy is now, and lighting can play a huge role here.

Lighting

Circularity in lighting can take shape in four ways:

• Serviceable luminaires: Fixtures that are upgradeable, connectable, reusable, recyclable and energy-efficient;

• Circular components: Exchangeable and/or recyclable parts, such as drivers, controls and LED boards;

• Intelligent systems: Software that allows you to monitor serviceable luminaires and enable preventive maintenance; and

• Circular services: Ways to prolong product lifetimes and provide stores with end-of-contract options.

Here are three ways to leverage the options in stores to support the sustainability imperative.

1Explore the use of eco-conscious lighting design alternatives, like 3D printed luminaires. Unlike traditional fixtures, 3D printed solutions can be produced with recyclable materials, using no paint, fewer parts and fewer screws to avoid material waste.

Also, when compared to traditional die casting production methods, 3D printing requires less energy, drastically reducing your carbon footprint. If a store needs to be remodeled or enhanced, the raw materials can be reused and luminaires can be reprinted to preserve their value. Each fixture can be made to precise specifications, blending with existing luminaires or integrating highly customized design features such as the company’s brand logo or colors, to complement any store aesthetic.

2Consider switching to a light-asa-service (LaaS) model, which merges lighting design, installation and maintenance into a single, managed contract. Circular services can help enhance lighting performance and extend its lifetime, supporting sustainability objectives. Retailers can return the equipment or reuse or recycle it at end of its lifetime for greater flexibility than before.

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When connected to built-in sensors and cloud-based software, or the Internet of Things (IoT), retailers can gain even greater control over their lighting, maximizing energy efficiency. Automated dimming schedules, daylight- and occupancy-sensing capabilities and zone creation allow retailers to use light only where and when it is needed. This can reduce a single store’s energy consumption between 25% to 30% in front-of-house operations and 63% to 66% in backof-house areas.

This connected lighting technology can also be scaled to support multiple stores at once for a consistent, sustainable property portfolio.

Eco-Friendly Future

Moving to a circular lighting model can have a big impact on keeping stores upto-date and contributing to a retailer’s sustainability goals.

Beyond energy savings, carbon reductions and eliminating waste, circular lighting streamlines operations, unlocks cost savings and future-readies a business for a brighter tomorrow.

Lids’ newest store concept is the brick-and-mortar iteration of an ecommerce platform that it launched last year. Located in Jamaica, Queens, the new Lids HD (Hat Drop) operates similarly to its online counterpart, offering exclusive and limited-edition releases. Designers and influencers will also create new collections for the store. Customers will have first access to purchase exclusive hat drops beginning at 11:00 am ET each Friday, before the collection becomes available on the e-commerce platform at noon ET that same day. In another first, Lids has opened its first store on one of the nation’s most prestigious shopping streets: Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. … Nike opened the first North American location of Nike Rise, at Aventura Mall, Aventura, Fla. It’s the third location for the concept, which debuted in 2020 in China, followed by a site in London. Nike Rise is designed to be unique to each city, with a focus on running, training and basketball. Similar to the other locations, Nike Rise Aventura has an area where shoppers can customize their sneakers and apparel and boasts multiple screens displaying local sports, city and athlete data. Two-floor LED screens display real-time sports moments, seasonal brand campaigns and cityspecific member data from the Nike Training Club and Nike Run Club apps. … The Museum of Illusions, an experiential

Comming Attractions

Babies“R”Us is set for its U.S. comeback. The retailer will open a flagship — its first store under its new owners — this summer at American Dream, the massive three million sq.-ft.-plus entertainment and retail center in East Rutherford, N.J. (In 2021, WHP Global acquired Tru Kids Inc., parent company to Toys”R”Us, Babies”R”Us, and more than 20 related consumer toy and baby brands.)

illusions museum designed for visitors of all ages, is expanding its U.S. footprint, with plans to open nine locations this year. The attraction will open its largest location to date in early spring, a 15,274-sq.-ft. site at Project 63, a new four-story retail and hospitality center Las Vegas. It will feature classic as well as “never-before-seen” mentally-stimulating optical illusions, 3D holograms, brainpuzzling exhibits and interactive illusion rooms, along with a retail shop. … Global streetwear brand Culture Kings, an A.K.A. Brands company, has opened its first U.S. store, a 14,000-sq.-ft. flagship at The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas. Combining Culture King’s signature mix of fashion, sports, culture and music, the high-energy space features a professional recording studio, a half basketball court, a 75-ft. hat wall, live DJs performing daily and gamified activations. It also has a “Secret Room,” dedicated to rare, sought-after streetwear items.

Designed to make shopping for baby an engaging and stress-free experience, the flagship will include a full range of products and services, along with interactive experiences such as a test track to try out strollers, a photo-opp station where parents can announce their new arrival and a “wishing tree,” where friends and family members can share their well wishes for baby.

The store will also spotlight updated versions of the brand’s signature features, including a baby registry lounge, nursery design center with room set displays, center for private events and educational workshops for parents and caregivers, and a “comfort zone” to feed or change baby.

The return of Babies”R”Us to the U.S. retail scene is in line with WHP’s goal to bring both the baby products retailer and Toys”R”Us brand back to life in the U.S. In December 2021, Toys”R”Us opened a two-level, 20,000-sq.-ft. flagship at American Dream