Achieving carbon neutrality: One company’s lessons learned

Signify, formerly the lighting business of Philips, achieved carbon neutrality in September 2019, reducing its CO2 emissions by 70% over a decade. The company's approach involved integrating emissions reduction into its core business strategy, transitioning to 100% renewable electricity through virtual power purchase agreements in the US and Poland, and optimizing its supply chain by reducing air freight and adopting electric and hybrid vehicles. To address unavoidable emissions, Signify partnered with South Pole to fund reforestation in Colombia, forest protection in Zimbabwe, and off-grid solar programs in India. The company is now pursuing a five-year sustainability program, 'Brighter Lives, Better World 2025', which aims to double its positive impact, increase circular revenues to 32%, and align its entire value chain with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement scenario six years early.

• Signify achieved carbon neutrality in September 2019 and reduced its CO2 emissions by 70% over the preceding decade.
• The company transitioned to 100% renewable electricity using a phased approach across 74 countries, utilizing virtual power purchase agreements including a windfarm in Texas and an onshore Polish windfarm that generates 92 Gigawatt hours annually.
• Operational emissions were reduced by investing in energy-efficient manufacturing and HVAC systems, re-engineering loading strategies to reduce air freight via a partnership with Maersk, and transitioning the transport fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles.
• To offset unavoidable emissions, Signify worked with South Pole on projects including a reforestation project in Colombia that restored 1,116 hectares of forest, a project protecting 785,000 hectares of forest and wildlife in Zimbabwe, and an off-grid solar energy programme in India.
• Under the 'Brighter Lives, Better World 2025' program, Signify aims to double its positive impact, increase circular revenues to 32% through services like 'light as a service', and meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement scenario across its entire value chain six years early.

APA

Wolzak, T. (2020). Achieving carbon neutrality: One company’s lessons learned. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/circular-economy/signify-achieving-carbon-neutrality-lessons-learned/

Chicago

Wolzak, Thijs. Achieving carbon neutrality: One company’s lessons learned. World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/stories/circular-economy/signify-achieving-carbon-neutrality-lessons-learned/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wolzak |first1=Thijs |title=Achieving carbon neutrality: One company’s lessons learned |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=16 December 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/circular-economy/signify-achieving-carbon-neutrality-lessons-learned/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wolzak2020achieving, author = {Wolzak, Thijs}, title = {{Achieving carbon neutrality: One company’s lessons learned}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/circular-economy/signify-achieving-carbon-neutrality-lessons-learned/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }