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July 11, 2019
Signify is committed to giving back to communities around the world through our employee volunteering initiatives. This is part of our Brighter Lives, Better World program and aligns with our company values
Every year, Signify employees get one day off to volunteer, spending time with the communities we serve. This year 316 employees volunteered to teach children at schools in eight different countries across the world. The lessons shared touched various elements of sustainability, such as climate change and energy efficiency. Additionally, 90 employees from India and Amsterdam invested their time in different activities. In India, 70 employees volunteered to plant trees, while in Amsterdam, 20 colleagues joined the refugee community in the Netherlands for a cultural exchange by guiding them through the Rijksmuseum.
As part of our global ’Light for better learning’ campaign, many of our employees taught school children about the importance of sustainability. These regions include Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Benelux.
In the Philippines for instance, Signify employees taught the students at Juan Sumulong. Elementary school in Pasay city about energy conservation. Students learned about greenhouse gases, incandescent lighting, fossils fuels, and climate change, all elements that are key in understanding how one can create a more sustainable society.
The employees also joined the annual nationwide Brigada Eskwela program, revamping the classrooms by painting the walls and chairs and installing the latest LED bulbs and tubes.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, Indonesia, 120 employees volunteered at two different schools, teaching the children about climate change and energy efficiency. The students were also given the opportunity to reflect on how they can mitigate climate change through their daily activities. As Prajna Khanna, head of CSR Signify Foundation says, “Some people dream, some people DO!” And now these students have the know-how to contribute to sustainability efforts in their daily lives.
To carry on the learning, 16 students were nominated to be official ambassadors of the program. “We vow to promote learning by sharing with others the skills we have gained here,” said one of them.
In India, 75 employees planted 75 trees in different regions, putting the words of environmentalist Thomas Fuller into action, “they who plant trees love others besides themselves.” This is another step by Signify to become entirely carbon neutral in 2020.
Alice Hocker
Author
The volunteering campaign was wrapped up in Amsterdam, where 15 employees took a group of refugees to the Rijksmuseum for a morning of art, conversation and cultural exchange.
As author Alice Hocker said, “Your greatness is not what you have, but in what you give.” And we’re proud to have impacted 5,230 lives during this years’ volunteer campaign which had activities around the globe. As we continue on our journey to complete carbon neutrality in 2020, we’ll continue to weave volunteering and sustainability activities into our working life.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
