Biopolymers: Switching Materials for Sustainability

Sustainability has always been at the heart of everything we do at Schréder. We have always built our products to last, long before sustainability became a hot topic; luminaires made over 20 years ago are still going strong. In Zaragoza, Spain, the city council installed over 65 impressive Hernandez/Fernandez lighting ensembles back in 2002. More than two decades later, we upgraded them with LED optics, generating substantial energy savings of 78% and preventing up to 91 tonnes of CO₂ emissions – while keeping these stylish luminaires, which were still in excellent condition, intact.

We are part of the circular economy and have significantly reduced our own carbon footprint while helping our customers to reduce theirs. When we design a product, we think about every stage of the lifecycle, from where the raw materials come from, to how much energy the lighting system uses during its lifetime, to what happens at the end of its working life. During every phase, we seek to minimise waste and resource consumption. To read more about our overall strategy, download our 2023 Sustainability Report here.

One area that can make a huge difference is the raw material we use to manufacture our luminaires. Since I joined Schréder earlier this year, we’ve been reviewing what we use, how we use it, and changes we can make to benefit us all. The street lights that keep urban spaces functioning are complicated machines with dozens of components which can be made from aluminium, glass, various composites and a whole array of fossil-based plastics, so the choices can be complicated. In this blog, we’ll talk about recent innovations in biopolymer manufacturing and how we’re integrating these materials into our products. 
 

It Starts With Plants

Every time we start a project, we think about all the different materials that exist on the market. What materials can be used for our products? What kind of application will it be for? Will it be for a city centre roundabout, a tunnel, a motorway? 

We use plastics in luminaires for several functions. They produce specific optical properties in lenses and protectors, while providing durability and impact resistance in bodies and protective covers. I'm in charge of the validation process where we test new materials to see if they can withstand the harsh demands of outdoor lighting. One suitable option we’ve found is biopolymers. 

Unlike traditional plastics, which are made from fossil fuels and take millions of years to decompose, biopolymers are a whole family of materials with different properties and applications. You can learn more about them here, but a plastic is generally defined as a biopolymer if it is either biobased, biodegradable or both. Biobased polymers are derived from plants such as corn, sugar cane or cellulose. Biodegradable means that the plastic will break down into natural substances such as water, carbon dioxide and compost without any artificial additives. 

For the protective housing, we’ve been testing a bio-based polypropylene (PP), similar to that used in the automotive industry. Cars and street lighting need to withstand the elements, so tough plastics that can handle UV exposure and extremes of temperature are perfect for this role. 

For the lenses and protectors, we’ve been testing biobased polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and biobased polycarbonate (PC) which offer a significant CO₂ reduction while maintaining the same high technical performance. And in the FRIZA GEN2 luminaire, we will replace the plastic cover with a biopolymer, thus reducing the CO₂ emission of this component by 60%. In addition, the transparent protector will also be made of biobased PC.   

We have been working with suppliers to find plant-based, biobased versions of these two plastics. Starting the process with plants instead of fossil fuels makes a huge difference: these biobased alternatives have the potential to reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 60%.