Philips 2010 Annual Report Download - page 42

4 Our planet, our partners, our people 4.1 - 4.1
42 Annual Report 2010
and economically. Sustainable solar lighting has the
potential to transform Africa’s economic, social,
educational and cultural life.
We have developed solar lighting solutions to help people
in Africa extend the day, including a small LED reading light
that enables children to do their homework at night or
adults to follow evening classes. These lights are
affordable and offer the potential for a major boost in
literacy across the continent.
We have also developed the world’s first solar-powered
LED floodlighting solution that allows people with little or
no access to electricity to enjoy playing or watching sport
long into the night – while at the same time increasing
safety outdoors. On the tour, we partnered with Dutch
soccer legend Ruud Gullit and the Right To Play
Foundation, which works to improve the lives of children
in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world
through sport and play. Matthijs Huizing, director of Right
To Play Netherlands, said: “We are pleased to join forces
in communicating the power of sport and play for
development, health and peace, strengthened by the new
opportunities that solar LED lighting offers.”
As Ruud Gullit explains: “For us, floodlight is normal: as a
kid you play with it, you can do training in the evening after
school, … it’s part of our life. If Africa now had this
opportunity they could have the same thing, the same
opportunities that I had, to use it to my advantage, to use it
in the evening after school so that I could do all my sport
activities.”
Saving energy – and winning friends
“There is significant growth potential in Africa. Philips sees
partnership opportunities in Africa for innovation,
solution supply, and knowledge sharing. We want to
provide meaningful lighting and healthcare solutions
across the continent,” says Gottfried Dutiné, Global Head
of Markets & Innovation, and member of the Board of
Management.
Across the continent, our messages around solar-
powered lighting and healthcare provision clearly
resonated with audiences. For instance, Simon D’Ujanga,
Uganda’s Minister of State for Energy, commented: “In the
country, as many of our people strive for energy, we’ve
been promoting renewable energy and efficiency in the
use of energy, so this seems to be the right answer for our
problems. This is what we have been waiting for.”
As Young & Rubicam’s Chris Harrison said: “Just imagine
how future innovation in Philips products will be received
in rural communities who know that Philips brought them
soccer after dark.”