Sharing the power of light

May 29, 2020

Social media celebrating the essential nature of light

May 16, 2020, was the UNESCO International Day of Light. Although it fell on a Saturday, we were undeterred and ran a series of social media posts that followed the sun.

Employees from around the world contributed their stories. The remit was simple: to illustrate why light is essential or meaningful.

Social media celebrating the essential nature of light

There were some striking posts, such as one from Argentina that showed the interior of a mobile hospital that may be set-up anywhere in the country to treat COVID-19 patients. The Signify Foundation donated lights for this rapid response facility.

A social post from China revealed the power of light to help improve young lives. In this instance, working with Habitat for Humanity, Signify donated LED flat lights to the Siheng kindergarten for migrant workers’ children in Shanghai. The company also gave desk lamps and employees sponsored a reading program with CKDP and gave books to eight other kindergartens for children of migrant workers.

From Indonesia came a heart-warming post. It included a video of an off-grid community in Central Kalimantan where the installation of solar-powered lighting has transformed the community, literally at the flick of a switch.

We feel safer when the place is brightly lit"

The reaction of the village chief said it all. "Now the pier is no longer dark, people can use small boats around it, and we can load and unload goods until late at night… We feel safer when the place is brightly lit," Edy Susanto, Chief, Bukit Batu Village.

As the day progressed, the posts reached well in excess of one million people. Signify employees also joined in. As of today, the Signify related posts and shares reached an eye-watering six million people. On top of that, employees were invited to answer the simple question, “Light is…?” See how they responded.

You can check out all the posts on the Signify company accounts for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram #InternationalDayofLight

About the author:

Neil Pattie

Head of Content, Signify

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.

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