By Josh Perry, Editor
[email protected]

A recent report published by the Eneref Institute, a non-profit research and advocacy organization focused on promoting sustainable economic solutions, highlighted the opportunity for LED producers to use polycarbonate heat sinks rather than standard aluminum to cool lighting solutions.

 A recent report focused on the use of thermoplastic heat sinks as a more sustainable approach than aluminum. (Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc.)

The report stated, “While no panacea, drilling for petrochemical hydrocarbons—the raw material of plastics—is far less destructive to the environment than mining for aluminum.”

It added that metal mining has links to water pollution, deforestation and environmental degradation as well as the violence that results from entities fighting for ownership of the land on which the mines reside. It also noted that only a small portion of the ore that is mined can be used for aluminum as opposed to the percentage of fossil fuels that can be used for making plastic.

Recycling is also an important consideration and Eneref indicated that it takes only one-fourth of the energy to recycle thermoplastics as it does to recycle aluminum.

One company that has already turned to thermoplastics as a cooling solution for LED is A.L.P. Lighting Components, Inc. The A.L.P. Recruit wall-mount security fixture was named in the Eneref report as a more sustainable approach because of its thermally conductive polymer housing, according to a press release from the company.

“It’s not surprising that an innovative industry leader, like A.L.P., would be an early adopter of polycarbonate heat sinks,” explained Seth Warren Rose, Founding Director of Eneref Institute. “Done responsibly, drilling for petrochemical hydrocarbons—the raw material of plastics—can be less destructive to the environment than mining for aluminum.”

Read the full report at http://eneref.org/report-details/employing-polycarbonate-components-to-design-sustainable-luminaires.