We were introduced to Well-lit through the team at our UK workshop and it was the perfect match. When Sibling co-founder, Jasmin met with Well-lit founder Chris Stimson, she left feeling energised and inspired.
Chris shared the story of how he first entered into the LED lighting industry. Back in 2009, he was living in Hong Kong and became one of the first sourcing agents of LED bulbs for the Western world.
Wild claims and poor-quality products became the norm as Chinese factories competed to win contracts. Sadly, the lure of low-cost bulbs turned heads of even the earliest adopters. In what was a rapidly evolving market at the time, Chris knew he had to adapt to compete so started speaking to cheaper suppliers. On one factory visit he got a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes conditions and was horrified.
In that moment he vowed to do things differently. From setting up a factory in an area where many of the cheap labourers lived (so they didn’t have to travel such a distance they wouldn’t see their families), to offering fair pay and decent working conditions… Well-lit was born.
Today, UK manufacturing of LEDs still cannot compete with China on price, which is the simple reason why there are no UK factories manufacturing LED light bulbs. However, as a society we know and agree the energy savings associated with LED bulbs massively outweigh the transportation of said LEDs from the continent.
For us, knowing almost all energy saving LED light bulbs are made in China, we opt to source them from a supplier who cares about ethics and sustainability so much more than the rest. Understanding their choice to forfeit marketing campaigns and fancy packaging in favour of investment in upskilling their workforce and employee benefits, is why Well-lit is now our official bulb partner.
What’s more, because of Well-lit’s investment in skills and people, they guarantee the quality of their products to the extent every single bulb comes with a five-year guarantee and 60 days free return policy as standard. Mic. Drop.
Read the full story behind the UK’s most ethical LED manufacturer here.