Circularity doesn't stop at good design
Many companies want to be circular. But circular ambitions only become credible when the final phase of the life cycle is also demonstrably sustainable. Out of Use helps manufacturers like ETAP Lighting to deliver on that promise. Because if you only start thinking about recycling once a product has reached the end of its life, you’re starting too late.
Sustainability requires more than just energy-efficient products. Circularity starts with a well-thought-out approach to the entire life cycle: using fewer raw materials, keeping products in use longer, reusing, repairing, and recycling them, and minimizing waste as much as possible. Out of Use makes that vision operational and measurable.
A strategic partner in the circular economy
For more than 70 years, ETAP Lighting has been developing lighting solutions based on three principles: endless, effortless, and waste-free. They design circular lighting using high-quality components, offer refurbishment services that maximize the reuse of housings, and operate under a Circular Light as a Service (C-LaaS) model
Such a model is only truly circular when the discarded materials generated by renovation and refurbishment projects are also processed properly. That is exactly where Out of Use comes into play.
Out of Use isn’t just the last link in the chain—it’s the link that closes the chain. Without high-quality processing of the discarded materials, the “circular” claim of any As-a-Service model would fall short at the waste stage. Out of Use makes that claim demonstrable and credible.
High-quality workmanship at the heart of the partnership
What sets Out of Use apart from a traditional recycling solution is its focus on high-quality material recovery. When discarded lighting materials are generated during renovation and refurbishment projects, Out of Use ensures that each material fraction is processed as purely as possible and returned to European industry as a fully-fledged raw material.
The result is a partnership that sustainably closes the entire life cycle. ETAP designs and renovates with a circular approach. Out of Use ensures that this promise is fulfilled right to the very end.
"At Out of Use, we believe that circularity only truly works when every material fraction retains its maximum value. At ETAP, we see this in practice: from how a light fixture is disassembled to how each material is returned to industry. The result: 91.1% material recovery and barely 0.05% sent to the landfill. That’s what we mean by a circular partner."
Measurable impact: circularity by the numbers
When old lighting systems are replaced, Out of Use ensures that the materials are processed in the most high-quality way possible. Not just to the lowest common denominator, but back to European industry as a full-fledged raw material.
Since the partnership began in 2024:
20,522 kg of lighting and fixtures recycled
29,553 kg of CO₂ emissions avoided
“As part of the comprehensive service offering in our C-LaaS model, in addition to supplying and installing repairable devices, we also consider how the old internal components can be processed in the most circular way possible. As a result, we have already had more than 10,000 devices processed properly through our various projects. Out of Use brings our motto, ‘We do what we preach,’ to life.”
More than just recycling: A Structural Approach
The partnership between Out of Use and ETAP goes beyond waste processing. Both organizations share the same conviction: products must be designed, used, and processed in such a way that raw materials retain their value.
Out of Use makes two concrete contributions in this regard:
Operational processing — the collection, sorting, and high-quality processing of discarded lighting materials from renovation and refurbishment projects, ensuring that each material fraction retains its maximum value.
Measurable reporting — concrete figures on material recovery, CO₂ emissions avoided, and processing results that ETAP can use in its own sustainability reporting and ESG goals.
Circularity: concrete, measurable, and scalable
Out of Use and ETAP Lighting are working together to build a sustainable future in which lighting doesn’t end up as waste, but as a raw material for new applications. We make circularity concrete, measurable, and scalable.
Does your organization also have discarded materials or lighting fixtures that deserve a second life? Discover how Out of Use can support your circular economy goals. And check out ETAP Lighting’s circular lighting solutions at www.etaplighting.com
Contact us to find out how we can support your circular economy goals.
