How do we measure our impact on health and well-being?
As a health technology leader, our purpose is to improve people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. We measure improved lives by multiplying active products and solutions by the number of people each product or solution engages. For example, a typical Sonicare toothbrush lasts an average of four years. It affects one life during that period.
We follow the same approach to calculate total life improvement numbers for large medical devices such as our ultrasound systems. Each year, we determine the average number of unique patients diagnosed per system. These statistics are generated and maintained on a cross-market basis for all Philips products and solutions, allowing us to quantify the number of lives we touch.
We apply statistical models to calculate and remove potential double-counting for each country and address cases where a single individual benefits from multiple Philips products. Our social impact is measured by the total number of lives improved per country. This audited methodology allows us to better measure impact, generate actionable insights, and drive real social value.
In 2021, our products and solutions improved the lives of 1.7 billion people, including 167 million people in underserved communities.[3] By 2030, we are working to improve the health and well-being of 2.5 billion people a year, including 400 million people living in underserved communities.