Refurb Editions - Better Than New

2025 - Clio Awards - Grand Winner
2025 - Clio Awards - Gold Winner x 2

Did you know that over 10 million gifts ended up in landfills last year? Many of these discarded items were still functional, painting a picture of wastefulness that Philips aims to change. Through its "Better than New" initiative, the company wants to focus more attention on the sale of refurbished products and support their sale in a forward-looking manner.

The campaign launched last Earth Day. Philips helped raise awareness of the importance of refurbishment and sustainable consumption. Ideated by the creative agency LePub Amsterdam and executed by Ambassadors Amsterdam, a 20-second hero film, plus cutdowns, brings all the gifts that ended up in landfills back to cities to remind us of their existence in a dramatic fashion that highlights the issue memorably.

The campaign included an engaging AR activation in Berlin. All week, starting on Earth Day, passers-by who scanned a QR code near the Berlin TV tower could see a virtual mountain of discarded gifts, symbolizing the volume of waste generated each year. This immersive experience aimed to shock viewers into rethinking their buying habits. Users were then directed to the Philips e-commerce store to learn more about the program and buy Philips Refurb Editions.

Refurbished products provide consumers with a more sustainable option for gifting by purchasing a product that has been returned to Philips. As part of Philips' commitment to sustainability and quality, each refurbished product undergoes rigorous inspections by a team of experts. Following a thorough cleaning and overhaul, components are replaced as needed, ensuring that every product meets Philips' stringent standards. Philips products live up to their message of Better Than New because they are better priced and with the use of fewer raw materials, further reducing environmental impact and waste.

The impact? In 2023, the Philips Personal Health refurbishment program reused 6.7 tonnes of materials from suitable returned products. In total, more than 13,000 Philips refurbished personal health products found new homes. But the benefits don't stop there. Consumers who choose refurbished products can enjoy their many features for a long time, making sustainable choices that are also smart ones.

Join Philips in making a green choice for a more sustainable tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Philips refurbishes open-box returns from customers and retailers (including from our subscription plans) that are suitable for refurbishment. For calculating the weight of materials reused, Philips considers only the weight of the naked product, excluding accessories and any product documentation, which in practice Philips also tries to re-use unless missing, defective, or not cleanable.