New LCA Data Could Change How Lighting Designers Evaluate Fixtures
PARIS — Lighting designers may soon have better tools to evaluate sustainability claims and defend product selections during value engineering exercises.
At IALD Enlighten Europe 2026, Leela Shanker of WAP Sustainability Consulting, presented an update on the IALD and GreenLight Alliance Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Incubator, an initiative to create consistent sustainability benchmarks for the lighting industry.
The presentation addressed a growing challenge facing lighting designers: sustainability is becoming a project requirement, yet the industry lacks common standards for measuring and comparing products.
Designers Already Value Sustainability
Survey results presented during the session suggest that many lighting designers are already incorporating sustainability criteria into their specifications.
Among the 20 respondents surveyed:
- 80% include lifetime minimums in specifications
- 80% include efficacy requirements
- 65% require material transparency reporting
- 40% consider recyclability
- 40% consider design for disassembly
These results indicate that sustainability has moved beyond discussion and into project documentation.
How Much More Will Clients Pay?
Another survey explored how much of a premium designers would accept for products that align with sustainability goals.
Seventy percent of respondents indicated they would support a premium of up to 20 percent. The remaining 30 percent would accept a premium of 21-40 percent.
The findings suggest that designers recognize value in sustainable products, but price sensitivity remains a significant factor.
Sustainability Versus Budget Pressure
One of the most interesting survey questions asked whether designers would defend a premium specification against a less expensive alternative based solely on sustainability criteria.
The results revealed a divided industry:
- 55% answered yes
- 45% answered maybe
- No respondents selected an outright “no”
The data suggests strong support for sustainability objectives, but also highlights the realities of project budgets and client expectations.
Building Industry Baselines
The initiative’s next phase focuses on three priorities:
- Building an ecosystem of allies among designers, manufacturers, and clients.
- Creating consistent analytical methods that allow meaningful product comparisons.
- Establishing baseline data to define best practices across the industry.
Shanker emphasized the need for harmonized measurement methods so designers can evaluate sustainability claims using comparable metrics.
Industry EPDs Coming This Year
The presentation concluded with a rollout schedule for new industry Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
According to the timeline:
- Verification activities are underway.
- Draft LCAs and EPDs are expected to be shared this summer.
- Industry-wide EPD publication is planned for October and November 2026.
In the meantime, letters of verification will be available to support project requirements.
For lighting designers, the effort represents a step toward more objective sustainability discussions. Rather than relying on marketing claims, future specification decisions may increasingly be supported by industry-wide environmental data and standardized measurement methods.
Go Deeper: Leela Shanker Unveils Sustainable Designer Workflow at IALD Enlighten Europe 2025