In April, 2023, I wrote about the evolving and escalating trade war between the U.S. & China. One of the developments was the U.S. and some of its allies banning the sale of advanced AI computer chips to China. On July 3rd, China retaliated with an announcement that it would impose export restrictions on [...]

  Amazon dominates retail e-commerce but not B2B e-commerce. Here is a closer look: Amazon dominates retail e-commerce with $431 Billion in sales projected this year. Amazon’s retail Ecom market share is 37.6%. In second place is Walmart with $73.5 Billion in retail e-commerce sales, 1/6 that of Amazon. Amazon’s top retail e-comm categories are [...]

There are two lighting control trade shows now scheduled for this Fall. The first will be DLC Controls Summit ’23, held September 26 & 27 in Detroit, MI. This year’s Summit theme is “Unlocking the Potential of Networked Lighting Controls.” More information is available here. Then on November 14th, 2023, NYControlled, a new trade show, will [...]

  Have you noticed a decline in fireflies this Summer? I have, but so have scientists. Nearly 1 in 3 firefly species in the United States and Canada may be threatened with extinction, firefly experts estimate in a recent comprehensive assessment. Surveys abroad show declines from mangroves in Malaysia to grasslands in England. New research [...]

  The textile industry appears to be well ahead of the lighting industry in terms of circularity, recycling old textiles into new textiles. Textiles are most commonly used within commercial and residential luminaires as shades and diffusers. Here are 14 textile recycling companies that could be sourced to increase circularity in the lighting industry: Blue [...]

  In previous LightNOW reporting, I’ve written about EPA’s sunsetting of the ENERGY STAR Lamps and Luminaires specifications, along with the plan to launch a new recessed downlights specification. EPA has now released a second draft of the ENERGY STAR Recessed Downlights Version 1.0 specification (Version 1.0) intended to replace the Luminaires Version 2.2 specification (the existing [...]

Here is a quick summary of four acquisitions, and two closures announced in the second quarter of 2023: Acuity Brands Acquires KE2 Therm Solutions. Details here. LMPG Acquires Majority Stake In Vode Lighting. Details here. Renova Lighting Systems Acquired. Details here. Inventronics Acquires ams Osram European and Asian Digital Systems business. Details here. Deco Lighting [...]

  BetterBricks is a program of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). BetterBricks has posted seven Luminaire Level Lighting Controls Webinars on its website, to share lighting experts discussing the benefits of LLLC systems, from innovating the future of commercial lighting to the latest research on energy savings. Webinars cover the following seven topics: LLLC 1:1 [...]

  On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed Reese’s Law (P.L. 117-171), which aims to protect children 6 years and younger from accidentally swallowing button cell and coin batteries. Reese’s law requires the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate a safety standard for these batteries and consumer products containing these batteries. This law raises [...]