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Leti Molina, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Vode Lighting, faced a critical challenge following the 2023 update to the Red List, which added fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as a restricted material. This change put Vode’s Declare label at risk, requiring full ingredient disclosure to comply with the essential use exception for FEP. Despite resistance from their adhesive supplier to reveal proprietary ingredients, Leti and her team prioritized transparency and sustainability. They made the tough decision to switch to a new supplier to ensure compliance with the Declare program’s transparency standards.
This decision underscores Vode’s unwavering commitment to material health, product transparency, and sustainability. By redesigning their products and aligning with market demands for healthier building materials, Vode demonstrates how the industry is evolving to prioritize Declare Label disclosure and the values it represents.
What made you ultimately decide to change adhesive suppliers?
At Vode, transparency and sustainability are central to our mission. Our commitment to these values is reflected in our approach to product development. As part of our efforts to renew our Declare Red List Approved label, we encountered a significant challenge related to disclosing the material content of the adhesive tape used in our fixtures.
This adhesive tape had been a reliable component in our products for many years. When the time came to renew our Declare label, which requires detailed disclosure of ingredients down to 100 ppm, we reached out to the tape manufacturer for the required material breakdown. Despite multiple requests, the manufacturer—one of the largest in the industry—was unwilling to disclose their proprietary information at the level required by the Declare program. Faced with this, we had to make a critical decision.
“Transparency and sustainability are central to our mission. Our commitment to these values is reflected in our approach to product development.”
Our team considered two options: redesign the luminaire to eliminate the need for the tape, or find an alternative tape manufacturer that could meet our transparency requirements. Given the importance of the Declare label to our customers, as confirmed by a recent survey we conducted, we opted to first seek an alternative tape manufacturer. We sent out this sustainability survey to a wide range of professionals in our industry, including agents, lighting designers, and other key stakeholders in the lighting community. The purpose was to gain insight into which eco-labels were considered most valuable when specifying or purchasing lighting products.
“Out of a dozen or so eco-labels presented, the Declare label emerged as the top priority among respondents. Feedback highlighted that the transparency provided by the Declare label, with its stringent disclosure requirements, was critical for ensuring products met high environmental and health standards.”
The results of the survey were enlightening and made our decision clear. Out of a dozen or so eco-labels presented, the Declare label emerged as the top priority among respondents. The feedback highlighted that the transparency provided by the Declare label, with its stringent disclosure requirements, was seen as critical for ensuring that products met high environmental and health standards. Our customers and partners expressed a strong preference for products that carried the Declare label, associating it with a commitment to sustainable practices and ingredient transparency that aligned with their values and expectations.
Can you tell me about the process you used to find a new supplier that would be transparent with their ingredients?
We partnered with our distributors to identify potential tape alternatives. We provided them with detailed technical requirements, including tape thickness, bonding strength, thermal conductivity, and temperature resistance. Thermal conductivity was particularly important, as the tape needed to manage heat effectively to ensure the performance and longevity of our luminaires.
Through our distributors, we were introduced to a tape manufacturer who aligned with our sustainability values. This manufacturer was committed to transparency and worked closely with us to find a tape that met all our technical and performance criteria. After reviewing multiple options, we identified two tapes that fulfilled our requirements. The manufacturer provided the full material breakdown for both tapes and we were happy to see that they met the Declare program standards and did not contain any LBC Red List ingredients.
“Our distributors…introduced [us] to a tape manufacturer aligned with our sustainability values. [They] provided the full material breakdown…[and] we conducted rigrourous performance testing. This process reinforced the importance of transparency in our product development and strengthened our collaboration with both internal teams and external suppliers.”
We then conducted rigorous performance testing on these tapes over a two-week period. The tests focused on confirming the tape bonding strength and thermal conductivity. After completing the testing, we selected the best tape for our application.
With the new tape qualified, we successfully renewed our Declare Red List Approved label. This process reinforced the importance of transparency in our product development and strengthened our collaboration with both internal teams and external suppliers. It also highlighted the necessity of building strong partnerships with vendors who share our commitment to sustainability.
What have been the impacts on your business and your consumers after switching adhesives and increasing the transparency of your products?
Since this project, we have continued to work on other material sustainability initiatives. We remain focused on improving transparency and also reducing the embodied carbon in our products. While we achieved our immediate goal of securing the Declare label renewal, our long-term objective is to completely eliminate adhesives and tape from our fixtures.
Removing the tape would not only simplify the end-of-life disassembly and recycling process but also align with our broader sustainability and circularity objectives. This effort to redesign our luminaires to eliminate the need for tape is now part of our future roadmap.
“Our long-term objective is to completely eliminate adhesives and tape from our fixtures…[simplifying] recycling…and [aligning] with circularity objectives.
While this redesign effort is a critical part of our long-term strategy, the immediate priority was to secure the Declare label renewal with a suitable alternative adhesive tape. The results of the survey made it clear that our customers valued this label above all others, and it was our responsibility to ensure that we met their expectations by maintaining this certification without interruption.
Switching adhesive tape manufacturers was not an easy decision, but it was essential for maintaining our commitment to transparency and meeting the expectations of our customers. The experience has guided us in refining our processes and partnerships as we continue to push for greater sustainability in our industry.
Vode Lighting’s journey reflects the broader industry shift toward sustainability and Declare Label transparency. Customers increasingly demand healthier, more sustainable products—and the Declare program is leading the way.Explore Vode’s commitment to sustainability at vode.com/sustainability. Stay informed about regenerative design trends by registering for Living Future 25 in Portland, May 6–8, 2025. Don’t miss the chance to join summits and learn from leaders in sustainability.