Signify launches Europe’s first LED tube made using recycled plastic
May 22, 2025
Signify launches Europe’s first LED tube made using recycled plastic
- Philips MASTER LEDtube T8 EM/mains contains an average of 40% post-consumer-recycled plastic.
- Sources of recycled plastics used include fishing nets, water jugs and car headlights.
22 May 2025, Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) today announced that it has strengthened its circular lighting portfolio with the launch of Europe’s first LED tube made with recycled plastic. On average, 40% of the plastic content of the new Philips MASTER LEDtube T8 EM/mains is made of post-consumer-recycled (PCR) plastic. 1 Furthermore, as part of the Signify Sustainable Packaging requirements, the packaging is made from 80% recycled paper. Available for the first time on the mainstream market in Europe, the full range of MASTER T8 EM/mains will be upgraded to using PCR plastics and will also be available in ASEAN, Indonesia and Greater China markets.
Using PCR plastics optimizes the use of resources by reducing the need for virgin plastic production and minimizing waste sent to landfills. The plastics are typically made of materials that have been recovered and processed after being used by consumers. The Philips MASTER LEDtube T8 uses PCR from sources including fishing nets, water jugs and car headlights. In practical terms, an installation of 1,000 LED tubes uses the amount of recycled plastic equivalent to the weight of 2,500 0.5l PET bottles.2
Harshavardhan Chitale, CEO of the Professional Business, Signify says:
At Signify, we put circularity at the heart of our product development, with the ambition to decouple growth from resource consumption. In addition to pushing the limits on energy efficiency and creating efficient products that last longer, we're committed to using fewer materials – delivering improvements in efficiency, usability and reducing the total cost of ownership over time.
Upgrading to the MASTER LEDtube T8 is both a good economic and an environmentally responsible choice. In addition to giving new life to old fishing nets, water jugs and car headlights – it delivers excellent lighting performance and energy efficiency.”
With a luminous efficacy of up to 185 lm/W, the MASTER LEDtube T8 has a B-class energy efficiency label. Its lifespan of 75,000 hours reduces the frequency of replacement, but when that time comes, this can be done without changing existing luminaire fixtures, which avoids further waste. At the end of its life, the tube can be easily dismantled and re-enter the recycling process.
The solution is suited to many different applications, including offices, schools, and warehouses, and can be installed anywhere, working with EM ballasts or rewired directly to the mains. It also has a robust build quality and shatterproof plastic design, tested according to IEC 61549.
When upgrading from fluorescent tubes, users can expect a full return on investment in less than five months and yearly savings of over €57,000 when upgrading 1,000 units of 58W fluorescent tubes to the new MASTER LEDtube T8.3 And compared to a fluorescent tube, the MASTER LEDtube T8 can reduce CO2 emissions by 1,170 kg over its lifetime.4 The annual energy savings would be enough to charge 124 smartphones for a year.5
1 Weighted average in plastic content of product, calculated according to ISO 14021.
2 Based on MASTER LEDtubes T8 1500mm.
3 Fluorescent tube calculations are based on Philips MASTER LEDtube T8 EM/mains 1500mm 20W (operating on direct mains) compared to Philips MASTER TL-D 1500mm 58W (operating on electro-magnectic ballast with 14W ballast loss; banned since 2023). Standard LED tube calculations are based on Philips MASTER LEDtube T8 EM/mains 1500mm 20W compared to Philips CorePro LEDtube T8 EM/mains 25.9W (all operating on direct mains). The lights are on for an average of 12 hours per day, 365 days of the year (4,380 hours annually). The average energy cost is 0.252 €/kWh according to the latest Eurostat report, and it is calculated for the non-household consumers in Europe, valid in H12023, based on 27 countries, all taxes and levies included. The data presented is an illustrative forecast based on a proprietary model developed by Signify to help customers understand the impact of lighting on the environment. Signify‘s “Green Switch conventional light point conversion model“ uses input from numerous sources, references, and data points (available upon request) to generate a simulated view of a given market‘s energy consumption, but the accuracy of which cannot be verified. The thousand separator is a comma (,) and the decimal separator is a period (.).
4 Based on the emission factor of 0.3 kg/kWh, Europe average. Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour as of 2023 based on Our World in Data.
5 Charging a phone once a day will use about 0.15 kWh of electricity per month and 1.83 kWh of electricity per year.
For further information, please contact:
Professional Marcom
Krithika Bollamma B C
Tel: +91 8123479307
E-mail: Krithika.bollamma.b.c@signify.com
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. Our advanced products, systems and data-enabled services deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2024, we had sales of EUR 6.1 billion, approximately 29,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We feature in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and hold the EcoVadis Platinum rating, placing in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on LinkedIn, Instagram and X. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
Signify global brands include: Philips, Philips Hue, WiZ, Interact, ColorKinetics, Dynalite, Telensa, Signify myCreation, Signify BrightSites, NatureConnect, Trulifi.
