5 Eco Friendly Lighting Brands to Help You Go Green
When looking for a way to improve the lighting in your home or business, consider finding the best eco friendly lighting brands. It’s one of many ways to live more sustainably, be more energy efficient, and shopping for new esthetics to light up your space can be fun.
But aren’t sustainable lighting solutions as easy as using LED bulbs?
Well, that’s undoubtedly important. But the type of bulb is only part of the equation. Whether you’re looking for new floor or table lamps or entirely revamping your indoor space, here are some of the best ethical, eco friendly lighting brands to help you go green and possibly add to your long-term savings.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I might get a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you choose to make a purchase through any of these links. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
What are the best eco friendly lighting brands?
Bicycle Glass Company
Stunning Recycled Glass Lighting
This pendant linear chandelier is just one of many sustainable lighting options available. They offer a variety of shapes and colors to choose from.
This company is one of the leading eco-friendly lighting brands. They offer a wide range of one-of-a-kind products made from recycled glass, including sustainable table lamps, contemporary pendant lights, and stunning chandeliers.
They are constantly innovating to use more recycled materials in their products and to reduce their carbon footprint. Their lighting options are beautiful and stylish and an excellent choice for anyone looking for a durable and eco-friendly lighting option.
Bicycle Glass Features:
- Founded in 2016 by David Royce and Michael Boyd
- All pieces hand-blown from recycled glass
- Company uses local pre- and post-consumer glass
- Shipping materials are both recycled AND recyclable
- Lighting products are hand-crafted in Minnesota
- Currently accept custom orders
- Light bulbs included with most orders
__________________________________________________________________________________
Thai Home Shop
Beautiful Artisan Lighting
Boho minimalist look at awesome, affordable prices. Who knew eco friendly floor lamps could look so chic?
When you order from Thai Home Shop, you’re not just supporting an earthy-friendly cause but also helping out local artists in Thailand. The company was founded by a woman named Rain, who has a passion for sustainable lighting and decor that “brings the heart of the artist” right into your home.
The company’s philosophy centers on the belief that responsible, eco-friendly lighting not only benefits the local communities and environment, but also your health and well-being.
Made from recycled bamboo fishing traps, their lighting includes pendant lights, eco friendly floor lamps, wall sconces, and adorable lanterns.
Thai Home Shop Lighting Features:
- Sustainable, affordable products that are designed to be energy efficient
- Can order LED light bulbs, solar lights, and wind-up lights
- Offer a range of shapes & colors from light to medium, to black bamboo
- Perfect for your kitchen, living room, or bedroom
__________________________________________________________________________________
Graypants
Sleek and Simplistic
This Kerflight is just one example of many modern and unique lighting options from Graypants. It’s made from FSC-certified plywood with a powder-coated, steel wire frame.
Co-founded by Seth Grizzle and Jonathan Junker, Graypants embraces the motto of repurposing and recycling. Focused on sustainability and remaining environmentally ethical, this company has various handcrafted sustainable lighting fixtures and options aimed at being energy efficient.
Their company is based in Seattle and the Netherlands, and one of their most popular lights is the Scraplights design made from 100% recycled cardboard.
The cardboard is laser-cut and then formed into shape, creating a stunning and unique light.
Another popular light is the Roest light, which is made from recycled glass and plastic. Esthetically, they resemble chimes, but in a much more classy and elegant way.
What’s so cool is that some of their finishing techniques date back to pre-Hispanic times in Mexico.
Graypants lights are not only eco-friendly and sustainable, but they are also stylish and modern. If you are looking for a unique and environmentally friendly light, then Graypants is the perfect brand for you.
Graypants Features:
- Beautiful, modern unique lighting that is highly sustainable
- Specialize in pendant lights, sustainable table lamp, canopy lights, Wick (which resembles a candle), wall lighting, linear hanging lights, and cool, wave panel lighting, among others
- Their lights are the perfect complement to any style home
- Well suited for the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and office
__________________________________________________________________________________
Chairish
Unique, Elegant, Vintage Lighting
Chairish is a home decor hub that has a ton of sustainable lighting options, from vintage to modern, unique and edgy, all the way to minimalistic yet elegant.
Imagine finding an online antique store that takes sustainable vintage lighting to the next level. Well, you don’t have to imagine it because Chairish is doing just that.
Whether looking for eco friendly bedside lamps that look straight out of the 60s, matching post-modern floor lamps, or a stunning 1940’s French crystal chandelier with amber teardrops, you’ll find something unique for any room in your home.
Chairish offers something for everyone with their wide range of vintage and antique lighting, as well as more modern pieces. Because they focus on repurposing vintage items and keeping things out of the landfill, they easily made my list of eco friendly lighting brands.
Chairish Features:
- Antique, vintage, & modern lighting
- New or previously owned
- Made-to-order items
- Options that include free shipping
- the ability to filter selections close to you
- 100% offset estimated carbon emissions from shipping
__________________________________________________________________________________
Stickbulb
Modern yet Minimalist
If you like the look of wood but don’t like the thought of chopping down trees to light up your home, then you must check out Stickbulb.
Described as a “light-up erector set,” Stickbulb’s lights blend creativity with innovation while adhering to stringent ethical practices.
When they began, they only used materials found within a 5-mile radius of their home office. While they have expanded to some extent, they are still committed to being green by using wood from sustainably managed forests in New York and Pennsylvania or reclaimed wood from demolished buildings and NY water towers.
Because of that, it’s not hard to see why they are on my list of eco friendly lighting brands.
Stickbulb Features:
- Founded in 2012 by Russel Greenberg and Christopher Beardsley.
- Use reclaimed and sustainably sourced wood
- Stickbulb uses LED lighting in all their products
- Can opt between portable floor lamps and hardwired lighting for your room
Frequently Asked Questions about Eco Friendly Lighting Brands
What is eco friendly lighting?
Eco friendly lighting is lighting that not only uses less energy and has a smaller environmental impact than traditional lighting but also considers the materials used and the methods by which they are produced.
In other words, lighting that goes beyond the type of light bulbs used.
There are a handful of truly sustainable lighting companies on the market today, but I suspect that over time more and more will emerge.
Why are LED bulbs better than fluorescent or incandescent bulbs?
LED bulbs (light-emitting diode) use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
And while the base of LED bulbs can get pretty hot–because that’s where they concentrate their energy–they still emit way less heat than their counterparts.
When they first came out, LED bulbs were extremely pricey. But the costs have come down, and it’s getting harder and harder to find incandescent bulbs at all.
Fluorescent bulbs, particularly CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) last about 10x longer than incandescent, so they are more eco friendly overall. But they tend to be hard on the eyes and should be avoided.
Some people argue that they don’t fall into the category of green lighting because they contain mercury, but it’s a minute amount, and even if they were to break, they release far less mercury into the atmosphere than smokestacks from power plants.
What materials are the best eco friendly lighting brands using?
Many different types of sustainable lighting materials are available, including the aforementioned LED lights, CFLs, and solar-powered lights, which have little to no environmental impact.
But beyond that, the materials used are really no different from those used for other things around the home, such as recycled or repurposed glass, cardboard, wood, and plastic.
Also, I think it’s important to look at the business practices of the company. Are they sourcing in an ethical way with minimal environmental impact? Are they paying their employees and artists fair wages? Do they ship in an eco friendly way? Do they carbon offset?
These are just some of the ways that you can be sure a company is considered an eco friendly lighting brand.
Can eco friendly lighting help me save money?
Absolutely, but only if you use LED bulbs. If you’re still using incandescent, replacing every bulb in your home with LEDs can save you over $200 per year on your energy bill.
Many sustainable lighting brands listed here, such as Bicycle Glass Company, Graypants, and Stickbulb, include eco friendly lights with their orders.
How can I find other good eco friendly lighting brands to support?
When choosing light fixtures for your home, look for brands that use recycled materials and have a low impact on the environment. There are a number of stylish and sustainable lighting options available that can help you create a more eco-friendly home.
Final thoughts on these 5 best eco friendly lighting brands
This list of the best eco friendly lighting brands is not exhaustive, and I will come back and update it as I find new companies that adhere to eco conscious policies.
If you want to keep things simple when going green with your indoor lighting, all you have to do is think outside of the box. Look for companies that use repurposed materials and brands that put together quality products that will last a lifetime or longer.
If you live near a Habitat for Humanity store, a Goodwill, or any thrift shop that accepts electrical items, by all means check there first.
If you want to be adventurous and you’re really serious about keeping perfectly good lighting out of the landfills, contact some local contractors and let them know you’ll be happy to accept any lighting they remove from homes that are being renovated so long as they can be rewired by an electrician.
