Helping El Dorado International Airport in Colombia reduce its carbon footprint, Signify provided nearly 9,000 3D-printed downlights and carried out LED retrofits for 14,000 luminaires.

Global lighting leader Signify (Euronext Amsterdam code: LIGHT) recently completed the first phase of the lighting retrofit at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. El Dorado International Airport has installed 8,941 Signify 3D-printed downlights, taking a solid step on the path to energy saving and emission reduction. Compared with traditional metal luminaires, 3D-printed luminaires can reduce the carbon footprint by 75%. In addition, Signify helped the airport retrofit more than 14,000 lighting points to LED, reducing electricity consumption by 66%. El Dorado International Airport is the largest cargo airport and the third busiest passenger airport in Latin America, with 60% of its carbon footprint coming from electricity consumption. Therefore, the lighting retrofit will further reduce the airport’s carbon emissions, helping it become a model of energy saving and sustainable operations in the country and the Latin American region.

3D-printed luminaires can provide precise customized lighting solutions according to customer needs. Compared with traditional metal luminaires, 3D-printed luminaires (excluding electronic and optical components) can reduce the carbon footprint by 75%. Signify uses 100% recyclable polycarbonate material and limits the number of screws and parts to reduce recycling difficulty while reducing product weight. These measures can further reduce carbon emissions by 28% during product transportation. Moreover, Signify eliminates the painting process in production, using colored materials directly to reduce additional coloring or post-processing, further simplifying the manufacturing process. Almost every component can be reused or recycled, actively responding to the call for a circular economy.

"Our goal is to set a benchmark for energy saving and sustainable operations in Colombia and Latin America. We are pleased to use innovative 3D-printed downlight solutions, and we are also happy to be the first in Latin America to use a remote management system for lighting infrastructure," said Mauricio Vélez, Infrastructure Manager at OPAIN, the operator of El Dorado International Airport. Recently, the airport received the LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Operations and Maintenance (v4.1) Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

In addition, Signify installed luminaires in the outdoor areas of the airport and connected them to Signify's Interact smart connected lighting system. Through Interact's lighting management control panel, airport operators can remotely monitor, manage, and control each lighting point one-on-one from any location, gaining real-time visibility into the lighting system status. This enables preventive maintenance and rapid fault response, thereby reducing maintenance costs, optimizing operations, and minimizing unexpected incidents.

"As a company with 100% carbon-neutral operations, we are committed to promoting responsible consumption and production by manufacturing products that are re-printable, refurbishable, reusable, and recyclable. We are honored to participate in this project, helping El Dorado International Airport, an important regional hub, achieve its sustainability goals," said Felipe Uribe, General Manager of Signify North Latin America.

3D-printed luminaires help El Dorado International Airport achieve its sustainability goals, fulfilling our circular economy revenue commitment: by 2025, the share of revenue from Signify's circular products, systems, and services will double to 32%. This is also one of the key targets under Signify's "Brighter Lives, Better World 2025" program launched in September 2020.