Signify Foundation Supports Social and Economic Development in Underprivileged Areas through Light

Signify Foundation, City Hall of São Paulo and the Union of Residents support more than 25,000 people in the Paraisópolis favela through LED lighting
  • Transforms previously poorly lit spaces so residents can make their daily commute to work, school or leisure
  • Enables extended opening hours, helping small businesses to generate more income, expanding employment opportunities and giving a boost to the local commerce ecosystem
  • Benefits an estimated 25,000 inhabitants, further enabling productivity, safety, cultural and economic growth across the community
Eindhoven, the NetherlandsSignify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has through the Signify Foundation, and in collaboration with the City Hall of São Paulo and the Union of Residents of Paraisópolis, started an initiative to improve the wellbeing and safety of residents of the Paraisópolis favela by installing LED lighting. As part of the ‘Light Up Paraisópolis project, more than 190 Philips GreenVision Xceed LEDs were installed in strategic areas across this Brazilian community that houses more than 100,000 people, and which is São Paulo’s second-largest favela. Additionally, ‘Light Up Paraisópolis’ helps to promote social and economic development amidst the current context of social isolation.

It is estimated that the project supports more than 25,000 people, as it completely transforms previously poorly lit spaces into well-illuminated paths so residents can make their daily commute to work, school or leisure. Thanks to the lighting, shops can also stay open for longer, helping small businesses to generate more income, expanding employment opportunities and giving a boost to the local commerce ecosystem.

“This Signify initiative has a very significant role for the population living in Paraisópolis, as today we can witness how a slum is transformed into a neighborhood. With the luminaires installed in six zones, based on the demand of the residents themselves, people who live here can move more safely and live better, which has a positive impact on the region, both socially and economically speaking,” said Gilson Rodrigues, community leader of Paraisópolis.

The project is the outcome of a partnership between the Signify Foundation, the Union of Residents of
Paraisópolis and the City Hall of São Paulo through the Department of Public Lighting, called ILUME. It has the objective to help people’s lives and reinforce the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world.

“For Signify, the Light up Paraisópolis project has become an important case that illustrates how the prioritization of lighting can be a determining factor when developing policies for the population,” explains Sergio Costa, Country Leader for Signify Brazil. “This illustrates our commitment to bringing Brazilian inhabitants quality and sustainable lighting that makes a real difference in their daily lives.

Technology in favor of the population
The Philips GreenVision Xceed LED solutions installed in the Light up Paraisópolis project are suitable for a wide variety of public spaces, as they are designed to provide the best uniformity in lighting and comfort for pedestrians with less energy consumption. The installed luminaires are up to 50% more energy efficient than conventional technology with a life cycle of up to 40,000 hours.

6
million lives lit by Signify Foundation
In a world where more than one billion people have no reliable access to power, electric light is a distant dream for many. The Signify Foundation is committed to ending this imbalance by enabling easy access to the benefits of sustainable lighting solutions to underserved communities across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, among other regions.

I
n 2020, the foundation lit 994,184 lives with sustainable lighting, and supported 9,276 people with technical and/or business training. In total the foundation has now lit more than 6 million lives.

Signify continues to support the local community through initiatives that aim to help people
at a time that they are already vulnerable, which has only increased by the COVID-19 pandemic. To support the people with a low income, that are living in difficult conditions, Signify, in addition to the ‘Light up Paraisópolis‘ project, donated various supplies according to the needs the residents reported themselves. This included the delivery of tables, pans, gas canister, among others.

Learn more about the Signify Foundation and visit our website: signify.com/global/our-company/signify-foundation.

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For further information, please contact:

Signify Corporate Communications
Elco van Groningen
Tel: +31 6 1086 5519
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.