Signify—the world leader in lighting with brands like Philips, Interact, Modular and others under its umbrella—recently announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality for all its operations across the world as well as using 100% renewable electricity. While the company progresses towards its remaining commitments for 2020, it is already embarking on a new five-year journey in which it will focus on doubling its positive impact on the environment and society.
Signify achieves carbon neutrality in September 2020
Signify has reduced its operational emissions by more than 70% since 2010, having shifted to more energy-efficient technologies at its sites, to more sustainable modes of transport and optimized logistics planning, and to less travel in a more sustainable way. It also uses 100% renewable electricity, supported through two power purchase agreements, one in Texas and a second in Poland. The balance of emission reductions is achieved through a carbon offsetting program with projects aimed at benefiting the wellbeing of local communities.
“We would like to congratulate Signify on their fantastic achievement of carbon neutrality across all operations in 2020. We have been working in partnership with Signify for over 10 years to accelerate the global adoption of energy efficient LED lighting and through Signify’s support of RE100 and EV100,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group. “The 2020s are the Climate Decade as we need to halve global emissions by 2030 to get us on track to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, so we need more companies to follow Signify’s lead in setting their own net zero targets.”
“I’m extremely proud of all the Signify employees and thank them for supporting our carbon neutrality objective. It is a truly significant achievement for us and we call on many others to join us,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify. “However, the world is still facing demographic change, urbanization, climate change and resource scarcity. This is not a time to pause and celebrate, but a time to become even more ambitious and accelerate our efforts to address these challenges. Growth for sustainability and providing a great place to work are firmly anchored as central parts of our company strategy. This means that when it comes to sustainability, we will go beyond carbon neutrality and double our positive impact on the environment and on society in 2025.”
Brighter Lives, Better World 2025: Beyond carbon neutrality
Signify has started implementing its new sustainability program and is setting a course to double its positive impact on the environment and society. The UN Sustainable Development Goals will be used as its strategic compass to work towards the following four goals:
Double the pace of the Paris Agreement
As part of its commitment to climate action (SDG13), Signify will go beyond carbon neutrality and reduce carbon emissions over the entire value chain to achieve, by 2025, the 2031 target set out for companies in the Paris agreement to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C over pre-industrial times. The company will do so by increasing the energy efficiency of their portfolio, which will reduce emissions of customers, and by driving carbon reductions at suppliers.
Signify also calls upon the world to accelerate the adoption of affordable and clean energy (SDG7). Its highly energy-efficient LED lighting saves an average of 50% of the electricity consumed by conventional lighting. An additional saving of around 30% is achieved by using connectivity and lighting control systems. Moreover, they believe that the expansion of solar-powered lighting systems will provide another very effective opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.
Double circular revenues to 32%
Making the economy more circular has become more important than ever. Today we use 1.6 times the resources our planet can sustain and resource scarcity and waste have reached worrying proportions. Signify is committed to responsible consumption and production (SDG12) with products that can be reprinted, refurbished, reused or recycled. This will help achieve the goal of doubling revenues from circular products, systems, and services to 32% in 2025. This includes revenues from 3D printed luminaires, which they were the first lighting company to develop at scale, and from streetlights with reusable components and recyclable parts introduced earlier this year.
They have also committed to sustainable packaging, removing plastics from all consumer packaging before the end of 2021, and to sending zero waste to landfill.
Double revenues for brighter lives, through innovations that benefit society
Signify is committed to supporting good health and wellbeing (SDG3) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG11). They will double the percentage of revenues for brighter lives, which benefit society, to 32%. This includes revenues from lighting innovations which increase food availability, safety & security or health & wellbeing.
Double commitment to diversity and inclusion
Signify commits to decent work & economic growth (SDG8) and to creating a great place to work. They will strengthen their commitment to diversity & inclusion, and aim to double the percentage of women in leadership within the business to 34%. They will also further strengthen commitments to employee safety, supplier sustainability and lives lit through the Signify Foundation.