Vode Lighting, a lighting design and manufacturing company, is partnering with Hydro for the supply of post-consumer recycled aluminum — making it the first company in North America to use Hydro CIRCAL in its products. This will help the company to cut emissions, secure its supply chain, and support a circular U.S. economy.
“We are impressed by Vode Lighting’s continuous commitment to reducing the embedded emissions in its products and are thrilled to see the company will be the first to manufacture its consumer products with Hydro CIRCAL in this market,” said Duncan Pitchford, head of Commercial, Hydro Aluminum Metals USA. “Aluminum’s endless recyclability and superior performance characteristics make it the smartest material choice, and with recycled post-consumer scrap, it is also the most sustainable.”
Based out of Sonoma, California, Vode Lighting was founded in 2006 with “the aim of converting energy to its most efficient light forms, invigorating architecture with minimalist lighting systems, and inspiring the people who work under our light to be their best.” The company works with lighting designers, architects and interior designers to create highly efficient linear LED architectural lighting systems for public, commercial, and education projects worldwide.
Selecting recycled aluminum reflects Vode Lighting’s long-term design philosophy of reduction and simplification, which makes CIRCAL a perfect fit for its lighting products. The company has already transitioned their best selling product family, ZipTwo, to this low-carbon recycled aluminum and aims to convert their full range of products when possible.
“We always look at the full lifecycle of our products, from the initial design phase to the final delivery,” said Leti Molina, senior mechanical design engineer from Vode Lighting. “Knowing that 80% of our embodied carbon footprint comes from material production, finding the right material partner and supplier is imperative to support our strategy of creating environmentally conscious lighting solutions. We are proud to be the first to produce with Hydro CIRCAL. We hope that by talking more about the importance of material selection, we can inspire other U.S. manufacturers to make greener choices that will contribute to cutting emissions and accelerating the circular economy.”
Hydro CIRCAL is is third-party certified by DNV to have a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap (with 1.9 kg CO2 or less per kg of aluminum). Over the last few years, Hydro has invested in new recycling facilities in North America, including state-of-the-art sorting technology, which enables the production of CIRCAL in the U.S. These projects include the new recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan, and the launch of Alusort LLC, the joint venture scrap sorting operation. In turn, these investments help these companies deliver goods that meet the rising demand from consumers for more sustainably produced products.