Signify is committed to achieving plastic-free packaging for consumer products by 2021

About 8 million tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean every year, directly causing the death of 1 million marine birds and threatening the survival of hundreds of marine life. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental problems in the world, and consumers' awareness of environmental protection has also increased their attention to product packaging.

Global lighting leader Signify is actively working to reduce the negative impact of its products on the environment. As part of its packaging policy. Signify currently uses 80% of recycled paper in product packaging and has begun to implement a plan to completely eliminate plastic packaging for consumer products within 2021.

By eliminating plastic packaging in products, Signify can save more than 2,500 tons of plastic each year, which is equivalent to the production of 125 million PET plastic bottles. If these plastic bottles are placed in rows, they can extend more than 8,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to the distance from Beijing, China to Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Note 1). More importantly, the new packaging using alternative materials has a smaller volume, which can reduce carbon emissions during the production of 6,000 tons of materials and transportation every year-the carbon dioxide produced by it requires 270,000 adult trees to fully absorb (Note 2).

"Plastic pollution will have a huge impact on our planet and biodiversity. Therefore, we decided to give full play to the role of example and insist on using plastic-free alternative materials. We believe this is the right approach and meets the expectations of our customers. "Signify CEO Eric Rondolat said, "I look forward to realizing the product packaging without plasticization as soon as possible, and share this exciting news with the world."

Signify’s packaging policy requires that all product packaging must contain more than 80% recycled paper, and the raw materials must be certified renewable resources. If paper materials are not suitable for some packaging, Signify will use other non-plastic materials instead. In order to achieve the goal of eliminating plastic packaging, Signify’s existing Philips Hue series products will abandon the plastic liner in the packaging, and the newly released products will directly choose foam paper for packaging. In the future, Signify will replace blister packs in different product portfolios with paper materials in an orderly manner globally. The European market will take the lead in the third quarter of 2020, and other markets will begin to follow in early 2021. 

In the Pacific region, Signify has begun to use paper materials to replace the plastic blister packaging in LED bulbs. This move has received widespread praise and improved the company's sales in the region.

Note 1. This result is calculated by Signify based on 0.5 liter PET plastic bottle

Note 2. A tree can absorb about 22 kg of carbon dioxide per year on average

"After successfully changing the packaging in the Pacific region, customers said that the new packaging is not only green, but also more attractive." Hong Anli added, "Therefore, I call on other companies to also respond to our initiative to make packaging plastic-free. We are also very happy to share relevant experience."

The phasing out of plastic packaging is another step taken by Signify to promote the sustainable development of its business, and it is also another important milestone of Signify’s "Shiny Life, Better World" sustainable development plan. Signify has achieved carbon neutrality in 15 of the 19 major markets around the world and is expected to achieve global carbon neutrality within this year. In 2019, Signify was named the industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the third consecutive year.