Anglepoise vs. Tala: Two British B Corp Lighting Brands, Compared

Anglepoise and Tala are both British, both Certified B Corps, and both core to Comosum's lighting collection — but they answer different questions. Anglepoise, founded in 1934 in Bath, England, builds spring-balanced task lamps designed to be repaired rather than replaced; the Original 1227 has been in continuous production since 1935. Tala, founded in 2015 in London, engineers high-CRI LED filament bulbs and minimalist fixtures and funds the planting of more than 130,000 trees through partners including The National Forest Foundation. We carry both because the choice between them is really a choice between heritage engineering and contemporary low-carbon design.

Two Different Origin Stories

Anglepoise started with a problem in automotive suspension. In 1932, British engineer George Carwardine was developing a new vehicle-suspension system using constant-tension springs. He realised the same mechanism could let a lamp arm move smoothly to any position and stay there. The Original 1227 was patented in 1934 and went into production in 1935 in Bath, England, where the company is still headquartered. Over ninety years later, the spring system has only been refined — not replaced. Sir Kenneth Grange redesigned the line in the 1990s and 2000s (the Type 75 and Type 80 series), and the brand has run collaborations with Paul Smith and Margaret Howell that treat the lamps as wearable colour studies rather than novelty editions.

Tala is a different generation entirely. Three Edinburgh University friends — Josh Ward, Max Bottone, and William Symington — launched it in 2015 with a thesis that struck most lighting investors as backwards: rather than chase the cheapest possible LED, they would engineer the most beautiful one. Their breakthrough was the LED filament bulb — a glass envelope with a glowing curved strip that visually echoes a tungsten coil but draws a fraction of the energy. Tala then expanded from bulbs into fixtures (the Knuckle, Muse, Poise, Shore, and Alumina lines) that are designed around those filaments. The whole company is built so a fixture outlasts the bulb inside it, not the other way around.

How Each Brand Approaches Sustainability

Both Anglepoise and Tala are Certified B Corporations, which means both have committed to third-party-audited standards on environmental performance, worker treatment, governance, and community impact (see B Lab for the framework). But they reach that certification from different angles.

Materials

Anglepoise lamps are built around steel arms, cast-iron or steel bases, and powder-coated finishes. The Original 1227's spring system uses materials that can be disassembled and recycled at end of life, and the brand sells replacement parts (springs, shades, cables) so a single lamp can outlive several owners.

Tala's fixtures lean on aluminium (recyclable), hardwoods, and recycled glass. The Shore Table Lamp is made from approximately 60% recycled glass; the Knuckle lamp uses oak and walnut paired with cast hardware. Tala's LED filament bulbs are engineered to be replaceable inside the fixture, so the wooden or metal body is decoupled from the bulb's lifespan.

Manufacturing & longevity

Anglepoise's principal sustainability claim is repairability: lamps in the core range are backed by guarantees on the spring mechanism and structural components, and the company stocks parts for designs that have been in production for decades. A 1935 Original 1227 design can still be serviced with current Anglepoise parts — the closest the furniture industry gets to a true closed loop.

Tala's claim is energy efficiency at the point of use. A Tala LED filament bulb typically draws 4–8 watts to produce the brightness of a 40–60 watt incandescent, and the bulbs are rated for tens of thousands of hours depending on model. Multiplied across the install base, the carbon avoided in the use phase is the brand's largest sustainability lever.

Certifications & community

Both are Certified B Corps. Anglepoise earned its certification in 2022 and publishes its B Impact score on its sustainability page. Tala is also B Corp certified and has funded the planting of more than 130,000 trees through The Heart of England Forest in the UK, The National Forest Foundation in the United States, WeForest in India, and an Eden Reforestation mangrove project in Madagascar.

Why Comosum Carries Both

We curate for original design, sustainability, and quality craftsmanship — and these two brands sit at opposite ends of the same value system, which is exactly why we want both in the lighting collection.

We reach for Anglepoise when a customer wants a lamp that will outlast the room it's in. A George Carwardine 1227 or a Sir Kenneth Grange Type 75 is a piece of working industrial heritage; you buy it once, and the next generation learns to read by it. The guarantee on core mechanisms is not a marketing line — it's a sourcing decision that affects every part choice.

We reach for Tala when the priority is contemporary minimalism, low energy draw, and a brand that treats sustainability as an engineering problem rather than a tagline. The Shore Table Lamp's recycled glass and the Muse Portable Lamp's cordless outdoor rating both belong to a category of lighting that didn't exist twenty years ago — and Tala designs in that space without resorting to disposable construction.

For most homes, the right answer is one of each: an Anglepoise on the desk or beside the bed, a Tala bulb in the pendant overhead. Together, they cover both ends of how lighting earns its keep — built to last, and built to use less. For more on the broader category, see our sustainable lighting buying guide, and for the wider B Corp story, our piece on B Corp furniture brands.

Featured Products at Comosum

A short edit from each brand, all currently in stock at the time of writing.

From Anglepoise:

• Original 1227 Desk Lamp — George Carwardine's 1935 design in current production. Available in Linen White, Dove Grey, Jet Black, and Bright Chrome.
• Type 75 Desk Lamp — Sir Kenneth Grange's reinterpretation of the 1227 form, now an Anglepoise standard.
• Type 80 Pendant — one of Grange's late designs, in pistachio green, rose pink, matte black, and grey mist.
• Type 75 Floor Lamp — Margaret Howell Edition — a Howell colour study (Yellow Ochre, Sienna, Saxon Blue) on the standard Type 75 chassis.

From Tala:

• Muse Portable Lamp — cordless, weather-rated lantern in Pleasure Garden Green, Hackles Black, Candlenut White, Pomona Red, and Solid Brass.
• Shore Table Lamp — made from approximately 60% recycled glass, in Amber, Sea Green, and Smoke Grey.
• Knuckle Table Lamp & Sphere IV Bulb — oak or walnut head with one of Tala's signature filament bulbs included.

Browse the full Anglepoise collection and the Tala collection at Comosum, or see how both fit into our broader index of sustainable furniture brands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Anglepoise made and where is Tala made?

Anglepoise is headquartered in Bath, England, with design, engineering, and finished-product assembly handled by its UK team. Tala is headquartered in London, where its lighting and bulbs are designed and engineered, with manufacturing carried out by partner factories audited under its B Corp commitments.

Is Anglepoise or Tala more sustainable?

They are sustainable in different ways. Both are Certified B Corps. Anglepoise leads on repairability — guarantees on the spring mechanism and structural components, available spare parts, and designs that have stayed in production for nine decades. Tala leads on use-phase energy — low-wattage LED filament bulbs rated for tens of thousands of hours, plus more than 130,000 trees funded through international reforestation partners.

What is the difference between an Anglepoise Original 1227 and a Type 75?

The Original 1227, designed by George Carwardine in 1934, uses a three-spring articulation and a classic conical shade. The Type 75, redesigned by Sir Kenneth Grange, refines the same constant-spring principle with a more contemporary silhouette and a perforated cylindrical shade for cooler operation.

Which Tala lamp is best for outdoor or portable use?

The Tala Muse Portable Lamp is the only piece in our Tala lineup that is rated for outdoor use. It is cordless, recharges over USB, and runs for several hours on a full charge — designed for dining tables, terraces, and small balconies.

Do Anglepoise lamps come with a warranty?

Most Anglepoise lamps carry a guarantee on the spring mechanism and structural components, with spare parts (including replacement springs, shades, and cabling) available so a single lamp can be serviced and kept in use across generations. The exact terms vary by model — check the product page or Anglepoise's customer service team for specifics.