Product Stewardship

What is Product Stewardship

Product Stewardship acknowledges whoever designs, produces, sells, or uses a product takes part responsibility in managing the product’s environmental impact throughout all stages of its life cycle, including end of life management and disposal within a circular economy.

The manufacturer of a product must play a proactive and pivotal role in designing-out waste, prolonging a products life and value through good design, clean manufacturing, use of more recyclable materials and designing for greater disassembly and ease of recycling.

Stewardship means the management or care of something, particularly the kind that works, and extends beyond the producer to include consumers, retailers, and other stakeholders.

Solar Powered Light

Product Stewardship Program

Solar Bollard Lighting is dedicated to achieving third-party certification as a manufacturer of Carbon Neutral solar lighting products through our approach to sustainable design eliminating waste, minimising the use of virgin materials, extending product lifespan through durability, ease of repair, and ensuring responsible recovery and management of our products at the end of their lifecycle within a circular economy.

To achieve these circular principles, a Product Stewardship Program must be developed. With support and direction as a partner of the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence we hope for deployment of this program initially in Australia by early 2026 for proof of concept before being deployed in countries our products are available in.

SBL Component Life Cycles

SBL Product Stewardship focuses primarily on the solar luminaire life cycle, keeping it within a circular economy with replacement due at:

  • up to 15 years for SBL2 Series
  • up to 15+ years for SBLV2 Series
  • up to 20 years for the SBL3 (coming 2026)

The pole or mounting supplied directly as a genuine SBL component, can remain in-situ for up to a possible 50 years when using:

  • pure 6106 T6 aluminium used to extrude SBL poles.
  • die cast poles use mixed aluminium grades, are thin walled, prone to pitting or galvanic corrosion, and easily broken.
  • 25um anodised colour range.
  • when completing installation & maintenance correctly

6106 T6 extruded aluminium poles

Draft Stewardship Process Outline

STEP 1: Customer orders replacement luminaire at end-of-life cycle.

STEP 2: Replacement luminaire arrives in a courier return pre-paid carton.:

STEP 2: The expired luminaire is placed into this same carton and sent back to SBL for:

Option 1: Refurbish/Repair

All refurbishment, repairs, and modifications are undertaken at SBL assembly facility for SBL2 & SBLV2. SBL3 modifications are undertaken at site of installation.

Refurbishment, repairs, modifications, new poles or mounting brackets will be at a cost to the client.

Transport back to client at completion will be at a cost to the client.

Suitability for reuse will be evaluated prior to any works being carried out based on the following:

  • Required power setting suitability will be subject to the solar panel’s linear performance degradation level and;
  • Suitability for use at specific geographical location will include:
  • minimum PSH during Winter Solstice
  • Winter Solstice required sunrise to sunset run hours
  • Shading levels at installation site
  • Seasonal snowfall or monsoonal weather patterns
  • If suitable then the following will be undertaken:
  • refurbish, reprogram (depending on series type and version), or repair luminaire
  • add a new pole/mounting
  • return to client for installation in suitable location.

OPTION 2: Recycling

Luminaire disassembled, each component separated into its category

1. Polycarbonate (Hard Plastic)

  • Grinded down to use for remanufacturing alternatives such as
  • Add black colour to manufacturer Australia Post mail sorter flaps which includes current scrappage from moulding runs.
  • Use to manufacturer low voltage electrical housings using a colour additive or any other product that requires colour as it will never remould transparent again.
  • Manufacture plastic pallets

2. ASA (Hard Plastic)

  • Grinded down to use for remanufacturing alternatives such as
  • 20% recycled added to 80% virgin material to remake part again
  • Use to manufacturer low voltage electrical housings
  • Mixed with sand to make 3D printing filament
  • Manufacture plastic pallets

3. Solar Panel – recycled

4. PCB – recycled as e-waste

5. Cables – recycled for copper content and repurposed

6. Aluminium Spun Collar

  • once volume achieved melted down to new billet and reuse to make new collars (circular)

7. Brass Inserts – recycled, and repurposed or reused

8. 316 SS Screws – recycled, and repurposed or reused

9. 304SS SR Reflector – recycled, and repurposed or reused

10. Aluminium SR Reflector – recycled, and repurposed

11. LiFePo4 Cell

  • recycling for rare earths
  • 1,000 cells = -75.12 kg CO2-eq to be repurposed

12. Silicone O-Ring – long lasting material that can be reused/repurposed

13. EPDM Water Seals – Rubber recycling program

FAQ’s

Nothing, as the energy is provided by the sun, which is naturally replenishing and a free resource. That is why solar lighting is so cost-effective and reliable.

Solar bollard lights offer numerous benefits, from life-cycle cost savings (up to 50%), ease of installation, less environmental impact, durability, and use in more locations to enhance public safety and liveability at night, which makes them a convenient and sustainable lighting solution.

Not all solar lights have the same environmental sustainability, even though many claim they are green and recyclable, they are not. This is called greenwashing.
• Most solar bollard lights have a short life cycle and create excessive e-waste, and why they are only warranted for 1 year up to 5 years at best.
• Quality commercial grade solar bollard lights have long life cycles and are 100% recyclable and warranted for at least 10 years and offer the best return on investment over their life cycle.

Yes, solar bollard lights utilise free renewable energy from the sun, are easy to install, which is better for the environment than conventional lights that often rely on energy generated from fossil fuels, so minimising greenhouse gas emissions, and trenching for cables to connect to the grid, which is detrimental to the environment

Yes, solar bollard lights are powered by the sun, which is a naturally replenishing and free resource. They are powered by solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity that recharges a battery, which is then used to illuminate the lights.

Yes, solar bollard lights using white lighting have a blue light spectrum that can have a detrimental impact on wildlife behaviour. The solution is to use LED chips having a light spectrum exceeding 580nm (Amber) or 620nm (Red), or in some instances, LED chips with a colour temperature below 2250 Kelvin, which minimises blue-white light and adverse impacts on wildlife.

Have More Questions? For more information check out our FAQs

FAQs

Solar Bollard Lighting acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waters upon which we depend.
We recognize their continuing connection to land, waters and culture and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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