Switching Smarter with Understanding the Lighter Problem

Editor: Nuraini Pandia, Agnes Sulistya (LCI Team)

Lighters may no longer be part of your daily essentials, but they remain one of the most mass-produced single-use items in the world. While often used casually to light candles, incense, or stoves, more than 1.5 billion disposable lighters are sold globally each year. Most disposable lighters are discarded within weeks, ending up in landfills, gutters, or even natural habitats.

The Quiet Footprint of Disposable Lighters

Disposable lighters seem too small to matter — yet their materials and scale tell a different story. Constructed from mixed plastic and metal, and fuelled by fossil-based butane, disposable lighters are engineered for obsolescence: built to be used, discarded, and replaced. Globally, they contribute to tonnes of persistent waste, and even in Indonesia, a conservative estimate of 10% of the population buying just one lighter a year would mean 27 million discarded units annually.

The Promise of Electric Lighters

Electric (or arc) lighters offer a seemingly elegant alternative. These USB-charged devices use lithium-ion batteries to produce a flameless arc. Many boast hundreds of uses per charge, with the potential to replace dozens of single-use lighters over a lifespan of several years.

Their sustainability appeal lies in:

• Reduces plastic waste frequency compared to single-use lighters

• Replaces butane fuel with electricity — though emissions still depend on the grid mix

• Offers potential long-term savings and durability when used regularly and maintained well

At first, this aligns with a circular economy mindset. But the story doesn’t end there.

The E-Waste Trade-Off

Electric lighters solve one problem but introduce another — electronic waste. Unlike traditional lighters, they contain batteries, wiring, and circuit boards. If poorly made or rarely used, their components degrade, rendering them unusable long before they’ve offset their footprint.

Unlike larger electronics, most arc lighters don’t come with repair options or take-back programmes. Many are treated as novelty gadgets, sold cheaply online with little to no transparency about lifespan, repairability, or recyclability.

Research on small electronics — including by the Global E-Waste Monitor (2024) — consistently shows that reuse only results in environmental benefit when supported by durability, frequent use, and proper end-of-life handling. Without these, even reusable products risk becoming a different flavour of waste.

Are Electric Lighters Truly Sustainable?

Electric lighters represent a promising shift away from single-use culture — but their sustainability credentials aren’t automatic. To make the switch meaningful, three conditions must be met:

1. Durable design: Ideally with replaceable batteries or robust internal components.

2. Regular usage: To avoid premature battery degradation.

3. Responsible disposal: Via e-waste collection or recycling programmes.

For those who use lighters often — for travel, outdoors, or certain household rituals — a well-made electric lighter can reduce waste and cost. But for infrequent users, even a refillable gas lighter or box of matches might be the more honest low-impact choice.

A Spark with Perspective

The electric lighter is not a perfect solution, but it can be a better one when chosen with care and used deliberately. Its value lies not in what it replaces, but in how long it remains useful. Because ultimately, it’s not about the flame or the arc — it’s about what we’re willing to rethink, even in the smallest of items.

References:

• Timeless Spark. (n.d.). Timeless Spark. Retrieved from https://timeless-spark.com

• Balde, C. P., Forti, V., Gray, V., Kuehr, R., & Stegmann, P. (2024). Global E-waste Monitor 2024. International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

• Cucuzzella, C., Salvia, G., & Salvia, G. (2015). Life Cycle Thinking for the Design of Sustainable Products. Journal of Cleaner Production, 108, 104–111.

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2021). Circular Economy in Detail: Products and Materials. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org