Lighting consumes roughly 15% of all electricity worldwide, according to the U.N., and switching to efficient, long-lasting LED bulbs is playing a key role in advancing the world’s sustainability efforts. As a world leader in lighting, Signify is a pioneer in innovative LED tech and was the first company to break the billion LED bulb barrier, reducing the environmental impact of its products. In fact, its connected LED systems can reduce the energy demands of city and building lighting by 80%.
Signify turned to Lenovo for help with a new challenge: reducing the carbon emissions related to the 20,000 devices used by its own employees by 10% in one year, and 20% in two years. The change was part of a broader push to reduce the environmental impact of Signify’s own operations, with the organization having reduced its carbon footprint by more than 70% over the past decade.
Signify is at the forefront of efforts to decarbonize urban areas worldwide, with its connected LED systems potentially saving up to 50 million tons of CO2 emissions per year in the European Union (EU) alone. With a presence in 70 countries and 32,000 employees, measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of Signify’s IT was a huge challenge.
“We aim to practice what we preach,” said Ron Broeren, VP Head of Digital Services at Signify. “That means looking for opportunities to embed our sustainability values in everything we do.”
Taking Stock
Signify has used 100% renewable energy since 2020 and reduced its operational emissions by 31% since 2019. The company uses 20,000 Lenovo devices including desktops, laptops and workstations, and turned to Lenovo for help in quantifying the carbon footprint of its existing IT estate, as well as guidance on how to reduce this footprint rapidly.
Broeren explains: “Before you can lower your carbon footprint, you need to know how much you’re consuming. That proved to be challenging when it came to our IT estate. We decided it was time to involve our technology partners in our sustainability drive. Amazingly, the Lenovo team had the answer to our question about the carbon footprint of our 20,000 Lenovo devices ready.”
Lenovo has extensive expertise in measuring sustainability in technology. The company is committed to reducing its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 in partnership with the Science Based Targets Initiative and works closely with customers to offer more sustainable ways to use its products and services, by improving manufacturing techniques, recycling and reusing hardware and offering carbon offset.
Broeren said, “Lenovo offered us several sustainability options. It was the start of an ongoing dialogue about how we could work together to lower our environmental impact.”
A 360-Degree Approach
Lenovo worked with Signify to hold a sustainability workshop, offering an overview of its 360-degree approach to sustainability services. Lenovo’s experts offered advice on managing the complex carbon footprint of the organization’s 20,000 Lenovo devices, taking in everything from packaging to shipping to what happens to the devices at end-of-life. Signify was a long-term user of ThinkPad laptops, ThinkCentre desktops, ThinkStation desktops and ThinkVision monitors. Lenovo worked with Signify to reduce the impact of the devices, with an integrated approach which included carbon offsets.
Lenovo oversaw every stage of the product life cycle, including how to get devices to users in the most sustainable way, and what happens to the devices at end of life. Ensuring that technology is recycled and reused where possible is a key part of the sustainability picture, with just 44% of the 50 million tons of e-waste produced worldwide currently recycled, according to the World Economic Forum. Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Services help customers to responsibly dispose of assets while also returning value to the organization.
The scale of Signify meant that the impact of Lenovo’s suggested measures across 20,000 devices was measurable and rapid. With a goal to reduce carbon footprint by 10% in one year and by 20% in two years, Lenovo’s experts excelled in lowering this by 20% in just 12 months.
Broeren said, “It was a year sooner than we expected. Considering we weren’t starting from scratch, but instead were dealing with an IT estate that had been in use for some time, this is a significant achievement.”
Broeren says that such progress would not have been possible without Lenovo’s help.
Lenovo constantly innovates to make products that consume less energy during both manufacturing and usage, with a goal to improve energy efficiency by 50% in desktops and servers and 30% in laptops and Motorola products by 2030. Lenovo also uses recycled materials to further commit to the circular economy, with plans to use recycled packaging in 100% of products by 2025. Using Lenovo’s CO2 Offset Services and Sustainability Workshop approach can also help customers address their sustainability goals.
John Stamer, Vice President & GM, Global Product Services at Lenovo, said, “For an organization such as Signify, sustainability is central to their innovative products, so their values aligned well with our own at Lenovo.
“We worked closely with Signify on everything from how products are disposed of, to how they are shipped to users. We are committed to designing product life cycles to focus on environmental aspects, from materials to packaging to site energy consumption and product transportation, and enabling our customers to use products with sustainability embedded in their design and manufacturing.”
A Brighter Future
The rapid reduction in the carbon footprint of Signify’s IT estate helped the company appeal to its environmentally conscious customers, and built loyalty among Signify’s staff, many of whom are passionate about the environment.
Broeren said, “People work at and buy from Signify because they agree with what we stand for. We believe that the world will only get better if companies like ours are willing to ask the hard questions. As we progress our IT sustainability journey, it’s partners such as Lenovo that will help us make an impact.
“Our work with Lenovo shows what can be achieved when highly motivated partners put their heads together to examine our impact on the planet.”
In the future, Signify aims to build on the fruits of its collaboration with Lenovo, Broeren says, describing the reduction in carbon footprint as “just the first step”. The company aims to continue its sustainability efforts via its Brighter Lives, Better World 2025 program, based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Ensuring a sustainable, circular approach to IT will be an important part of Signify’s continuing sustainability journey.
Broeren said, “As we progress our IT sustainability journey, it’s partners such as Lenovo that will help us make an impact.”
Find out more about Lenovo’s Sustainability Solutions.
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