Building on a green heritage

AS populations in cities surge as a result of urbanisation and overall population growth, further strain will be placed on the Earth's limited resources. This worrying dynamic is refocusing efforts by governments and organisations to achieve growth that is both sustainable and socially responsible.

Experts estimate that another 2.5 billion people will flock to urban centres by 2050, making up 66 per cent of the planet's inhabitants, up from 54 per cent today. What's more, almost 90 per cent of this increase will be concentrated in Asia and Africa, according to a recent United Nations report.

While sustainability and social responsibility may appear to be relatively new buzzwords, these areas have been important to Dutch diversified technology group Philips since its inception. The company's founders helped build schools and houses, as well as set up sports clubs and training initiatives for the benefit of employees and the communities they lived in. And since the 1970s, Philips has looked for ways to improve its operations, products and supply chains as part of its efforts to support a sustainable environment.