Bangkok--17 Jun-- Barbara Kux, Member of the Group Management Committee of Royal Philips Electronics and chair of Philips’ Sustainability Board, advocates integrated sustainability strategies to underpin continued business growth across ASEAN Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia With global warming at the forefront, the time for talking about industry sustainability and organizational eco-responsibility is over and the focus for organizations should be on implementing effective strategies to realize energy efficiency. Saving energy is not just good for the environment; it is vital for the continuing viability of businesses today and in the future. This was a key point made by Barbara Kux in her address on Unsustainable Trends in Asia at the World Economic Forum on June 15th. By offering its most advanced technologies and solutions, Philips is well positioned to contribute to the ASEAN region’s development of green and sustainable growth to safeguard the planet for future generations. Existing new lighting technology today offers a triple win situation—saving cost, energy and the environment Hence, switching to energy efficient lighting is the quickest and easiest way to make a significant contribution. “One simple solution for Asia is energy efficient lighting. According to McKinsey Global institute’s studies on CO2 reduction, energy efficient lighting is one of the most important low cost solutions for greenhouse gas reduction,” said Ms. Kux. “If new energy efficient lighting technology were to be adopted in Asia, we could achieve a 40% savings in energy output a year. This would save Asia EURO 38 billion in energy cost per year which is an equivalent to an annual savings of 245 million tonnes of Co2 emission; a savings of 555 million barrels of oil a year; or equivalent to an annual output of more than 190 power plants a year.” With ASEAN countries and regulatory bodies becoming increasingly aware of the irreversible effects of global warming; the focus on ‘green’ technology and ‘green’ products is now an industries-wide concern. Economic growth has been historically linked to consumption of energy. Higher levels of consumption and its environmental impact are said a by-product of many of the countries in the region that are experiencing rapid economic growth. Following her World Economic Forum appearance, Kux hosted a dialogue with industry leaders across ASEAN. At the Roundtable, she pointed out that the challenge today is for organisations to combine economic growth with harmonious social development — the rational use of energy resources with the reduction of environmental pollution. “Across the ASEAN region, Philips contributes to national government policy agendas on addressing issues such as climate change, sustainability and eco responsibility. Among its key initiatives, Philips works at all levels namely with the lighting industry, energy suppliers, governments and retailers to switch to energy-saving lighting in streets, offices, buildings and homes,” said Kux. “The savings for the Asian region could amount to EURO 38 billion if the region switches to energy efficient lighting technology,” she added. In Vietnam, Philips works with the government to distribute Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) directly to the end user to encourage consumers to change from incandescent lightbulbs to energy saving lightbulbs, providing 70% lamp reduction with 30% energy savings. Similarly, in Thailand, Philips encourages business operators to switch from conventional lighting to LEDs for their Light Signages as it helps save up to 80% energy in comparison to normal lighting signage. Philips has long been an industry leader in introducing cleaner, greener technologies. In its continuing commitment to dramatically reducing carbon emissions caused by the world’s lighting needs, Philips announced its fourth EcoVision program last year in September to set a target to double sales from green products to 30% of total revenues within five years. Meanwhile, by the end of 2012, the company’s energy efficiency should have increased with yet another 25% to further reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Furthermore, Philips’ campaign www.asimpleswitch.com communicated to the public at large that solutions in energy management can be simple and easy to implement. The panelists at the roundtable included key executives from the Securities Commission of Malaysia, WWF International, Vietnam Centre for Environment Research, SJMC Healthcare Group, Janssen-Cilag, CSR Asia and Microsoft Malaysia.