Signify’s Sustainable Commuting Challenge

September 24, 2019

It’s Climate Week in New York, and at Signify’s offices around the world we’re raising awareness (and taking action) on sustainable commuting

This year, during Climate Week, Signify is challenging its employees to find sustainable ways to get to work. It’s not an easy thing to do in every country around the world as feasibility varies. Here in Amsterdam, bike paths are many, and train and metro connections are convenient. Not so in all of our offices, but nevertheless we persist.

According to Maurice Loosschilder, Head of Sustainability Strategy and Reporting, the key to this initiative is expanding our idea of sustainability. “It’s about more than our business practices,” he says, “it’s about expanding our understanding of how we as employees can live and breathe our sustainability commitment.”

Three years atop the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Signify’s commitment to sustainability is without question. Look no further than our commitment to becoming carbon neutral in 2020 for that.

And we’re being recognized for our efforts; Signify has been recognized as Industry Leader in the Electrical Components and Equipment category of the 2019 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the third year in a row!

Of course, Greta Thunberg’s climate activism has been controversial but the attention she has garnered and her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize shows how climate change has become part of our social discourse, not a special interest topic. Now there is a challenge for policymakers and business leaders to find the solutions that will deliver carbon neutrality.

We received Best in Class score in all three categories of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index: Economic, Environmental and Social."

Our overall score of 88 out of 100 points demonstrates the ongoing implementation of sustainable measures in all aspects of our business. We received Best in Class score in all three categories: Economic, Environmental and Social.

And, building upon this firm basis in our business practices, we’re expanding our sustainability ethos by seeing what else we can do to make a positive impact. Enter sustainable commuting.

Quarterly sustainability challenges

The Sustainable Commuting Challenge isn’t a one-off event, it’s one of our quarterly sustainability challenges engineered by the sustainability department, who are seeking to, in the words of Nicola Kimm, Head of Sustainability, “walk the talk as a sustainable company, create employee pride and really make Signify a great place to work.”

And so far, we’ve already seen employees carpool, take transit, have a whole department ride bikes to work together(!), and we’ve also heard plans for boat rides, walking and even skipping and taking a pogo stick to work!

It’s not about calculating exact numbers, this challenge is about seeing how our daily actions can contribute to a more sustainable world."

Even though the focus of this action is simply aligning our actions with our values, we’re also looking at impact. Employees have access to a measurement tool to translate avoided car kilometres from their department’s sustainable commuting actions into avoided carbon emissions.

According to Loosschilder, “It’s not necessarily about getting exact numbers, but more about seeing how our daily actions can contribute to a more sustainable world.”

Taking action, making a difference

Our CEO Eric Rondolat, during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, called upon companies to drive an energy efficiency increase of 3% per year in their operations. And there’s no doubt that when faced with a developing climate emergency, huge changes need to be made.

But as climate campaigner Greta Thunberg has powerfully demonstrated, the actions of a single person can have a big impact. And that can be demonstrated in your daily actions, like your commute to work.

So, go ahead and join us, commute sustainably (insofar as it’s both possible and safe for you to do so), and take (literal) steps to fighting climate change. It’s up to all of us.

About the author:

Ryan Millar

Chief Editor

For further information, please contact:

Signify Global Integrated Communications
Neil Pattie
Tel: + 31 6 15 08 48 17
Email: neil.pattie@signify.com

About Signify

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.