Raytec’s Sustainability Story

Sustainability shapes how we work at Raytec, from the way we design products to how we manufacture them. With the rise in environmental issues, we have become more mindful about our impact on the environment.

As a specialist LED manufacturer, we help customers reduce their energy use, and we hold ourselves to the same standard. In 2023, we upgraded our factory lighting from fluorescent fittings to Raytec URBAN Linear luminaires, which helped cut our lighting energy use by 70% (20,666 kWh a year). Since 1 October 2026, all the electricity we buy for our UK site comes from renewable sources, backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO).

Our Vision

Our vision at Raytec is, ‘to have a global footprint without leaving a footprint on our planet’. Our sustainability journey is driven by our Sustainable Planet Team (SPT), made up of Raytec team members from across the business. Meeting monthly, the team explores practical and achievable ways to reduce our energy consumption, minimise waste and lower our carbon emissions. By continually reviewing our everyday processes and looking for opportunities to make improvements, the team has introduced a number of initiatives, including:

• Reducing energy consumption: Our hazardous production lines now include end-of-day equipment switch-off checks as part of their daily routine. This helps ensure machinery and equipment are not left running unnecessarily, reducing energy consumption and avoiding wasted electricity.
• Smarter, more sustainable product literature: Rather than relying solely on our 20-page product guides, we have introduced one-page product leaflets for use at exhibitions. These provide key product information alongside a QR code linking directly to the relevant product pages online. This approach reduces the need to print and regularly replace larger catalogues when smaller product updates are made, while making it easier to keep information up to date and accessible digitally.
• Consolidating supplier deliveries: We have worked to coordinate and consolidate supplier deliveries onto fewer days each week. By reducing the number of individual deliveries, we can help minimise vehicle journeys, reduce associated transport emissions and make our incoming goods process more efficient.
• Reducing digital waste: We have introduced automatic archiving of older and larger email attachments and files. This helps us manage our digital storage more efficiently, reduce the volume of unnecessary data we retain and support more responsible use of digital resources.

Alongside this, the team is working on larger projects, including a review of our heating systems this winter and of the remaining single-use plastic in our packaging.

Our Carbon Footprint

Our carbon footprints for 2022 and 2023 were independently verified, and we achieved carbon neutrality for both years through certified carbon offsetting.This was achieved through positive actions to lower CO₂  emissions, and invested in reforestation schemes. With this, we kicked off a broader campaign towards achieving sustainable working practices, such as introducing returnable packing with some suppliers and installing a Voltage Optimiser to further reduce electricity consumption. We’ll share our independently verified results for recent years early next year.

Reducing our Plastic Usage

Raytec’s dedication to producing and maintaining a high standard of sustainable work and innovation is evident across all aspects of Raytec. We partner with some suppliers to reduce waste through returnable and reusable packaging. We are also reducing single-use plastics in our LED lens protectors, which emphasises our drive to adopt more environmentally conscious attitudes and practices when approaching projects.

Since 2013, our plastic packaging has fallen by 67% from 6,189kg to 2,045kg in 2025, showing that sustainability is a key focus throughout the entire manufacturing process here at Raytec.

Environmental Product Declaration

Our SPARTAN Linear range has an independently verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which sets out the product’s environmental impacts across its life cycle, from raw materials through to end of life. Because these products qualify for this verified declaration of a product’s environmental impacts, our distributors and customers alike can be confident that we are continuously and consistently finding practical solutions to reduce our environmental impact.

Wildlife Considerations

Wildlife can be affected by artificial light at night, from disrupting circadian rhythms, to negatively impacting navigation in birds. For example, this artificial light can affect nesting sea turtles, as any excessive lighting can disorient hatchlings, which makes them increasingly vulnerable to predators, exhaustion and dehydration; this causes a rise in their mortality rates as they cannot navigate between the beaches and the ocean. This effect can be combatted using amber luminaires.

To combat the ramifications of using white light in areas known to be inhabited by local wildlife, we offer bespoke LEDs that reduce the disruption caused to wildlife by harsh blue-rich LED lights. In our project with Unique Lights, we used turquoise-coloured luminaires that are less distracting to the bird population. As this project was situated in the Netherlands, adhering to strict regulations to protect the local birds was an integral part of the project.

Some of the products in our range have also been awarded the ADSA (Australasian Dark Sky Alliance) Prized Wildlife Certification, recognising their contribution to reducing the impact of artificial light on wildlife.

Benefits of LED Lighting Systems

LED lighting systems themselves promote higher sustainability compared to their counterparts, such as fluorescents and halogens. LEDs waste far less electricity as heat, and our own factory shows what that means in practice: 70% cut in lighting energy.

The quality of the luminaires also contributes hugely to the sustainability of the product. All Raytec luminaires come with a 5-year warranty, and our products are designed and manufactured in the UK. Durability and long service life mean fewer replacements.

Industry Recognition

In 2024, we were proud to be shortlisted for the Sustainable/Ethical Manufacturer of the Year award at the Insider Media Made in the North East Awards. The awards celebrate the achievements of manufacturing and engineering businesses across the North East, recognising the innovation, expertise and contribution that make the region such an important hub for UK manufacturing.

Being shortlisted was a fantastic achievement for Raytec and a welcome recognition of the steps we are taking to make our business more sustainable. As a manufacturer based in the North East, we are proud to be part of the region’s thriving manufacturing community and to play our part in building a more sustainable future for the industry.

Conclusion

Our vision is ‘to have a global footprint without leaving a footprint on our planet’. We aim to keep sustainability at the forefront of our practices through implementing many sustainable procedures such as reducing single-use packaging in our products and offering wildlife and bird friendly luminaires. Through a combination of sustainable initiatives, responsible manufacturing, and environmental considerations, we aim to reduce our impact on the planet in everything we do. At Raytec, we are lighting the way for a better today, and tomorrow.