CRADLE to CRADLE Production

The Independence LED "CRADLE to CRADLE Production" Recycling Policy for LED Tubes

The Most Advanced & Eco-Friendly Program on the Planet.

At Independence LED Lighting, LLC, our Commitment to Environmental Sustainability is Good for the Planet,

and it is also Good for Business. Here is our Five Star Commitment:

#1: We have met RoHS Compliance for our LED Tubes

The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC (commonly referred to as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS) was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and become law in each member state. This directive restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. It is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic e-waste.

#2: We have the External Driver Advantage

The vast majority of LED Tubes rely on an internal or “dependent” driver which is the power supply that is located either inside the tube or at the end of the tube within the housing. This presents a significant problem in the disposal process, because the capacitors in the driver are costly to remove. With its external “independent” driver, Independence LED has a modular system so the driver is separate. This is key in recycling elements like the extruded polycarbonate lens since it just snaps off vs. the more labor intensive extraction process to separate the lens from an internal driver.

#3: We recycle the Aluminum for the Heat Sinks and the Printed Circuit Boards

The vast majority of the weight of the Independence LED Tubes is in the Aluminum heat sink and printed circuit board, which are both recycled for the next generation of LED Tubes or any other products that incorporate aluminum. The vast majority of LED Tubes use plastics, thin fin aluminum and/or fiberglass printed circuit boards that are more costly to process given that the market value of aluminum is high relative to the cost of melting it down.

#4: We have a recycle Value that Exceeds the Disposal Cost

The offset cost of the proper disposal of elements in the External Driver is outweighed by the value of the Aluminum. The Independence LED Tubes are robust in their engineering and construction, which means that the weight is an advantage at the end of life, because it created an opportunity for “rebirth”.

#5: We focus on the closed loop of Product Rebirth

Our Cradle to Cradle approach is simply the antithesis of the Cradle to Grave approach of Fluorescent Tubes with the toxic mercury. LEDs not only last longer, but we have engineered a modular system that promotes environmental stewardship.

MORE: For the Net CO2 Emissions, see the Grey Energy Analysis

Support Information:

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is the European Community directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) which, together with the RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC, became European Law in February 2003. The WEEE Directive set collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods, with a minimum rate of 4 kilograms per head of population per annum recovered for recycling by 2009. The RoHS Directive set restrictions upon European manufacturers as to the material content of new electronic equipment placed on the market.

The symbol adopted by the European Council to represent waste electrical and electronic equipment comprised a crossed out wheelie bin with or without a single black line underneath the symbol. The black line indicates that goods have been placed on the market after 2005, when the Directive came into force. Goods without the black line were manufactured between 2002 and 2005. In such instances, these are treated as "historic weee" and falls outside re-imbursement via producer compliance schemes.

E-waste, Electronic waste, e-scrap, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. There is a lack of consensus as to whether the term should apply to resale, reuse, and refurbishing industries, or only to product that cannot be used for its intended purpose. Informal processing of electronic waste in developing countries may cause serious health and pollution problems, though these countries are also most likely to reuse and repair electronics. Some electronic scrap components, such as CRTs, may contain contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame retardants. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes. Scrap industry and USA EPA officials agree that materials should be managed with caution.