US researchers claim to have developed a new type of lighting that could replace compact fluorescents.
It is made from layers of plastic that is said to provide efficient lighting as well improved quality.
The scientists behind it say they believe the first units of the product could be produced as early as next year.
Details of this development have been published in the journal Organic Electronics.
The new light source - called field-induced polymer electroluminescent - could be competing alongside ceiling spotlights and shower lights soon.
It is made from three layers of white-emitting polymer that contain a small volume of nanomaterials that glow when electric current is passed through them.
The inventor of the device is Dr David Carroll who is professor of physics at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
He says the new plastic lighting source can be made into any shape and claims it provides better lighting than compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs.
Talking to BBC News about CF bulbs Dr Carroll added: "They have a bluish, harsh tint to them. It is not really accommodating to the human eye.
"I'm saying we are brighter than one of these curly cube bulbs and I can give you any tint to that white light that you want."
This development is the latest in the industry as more and more researchers have looked towards increasingly energy efficient bulbs.
Indeed, a greater number of firms have taken to using LED bulbs in their buildings as way of cutting their carbon footprint, as well as saving money.
In October, hoteliers Rezidor announced that over 300 of its chain hotels throughout the world would be swapping their standard light bulbs for energy efficient LED lighting by 2014.
It said at the time that the move was part of its ambitious energy-saving initiative that is targeting a 25 per cent reduction in energy consumption at the firm by 2016.
