Online shopping is at its peak. 10 million returned gifts end up in landfills yearly.

Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that for many companies, it’s often cheaper to make a new product than to open, check, repack and resend the returned ones. This results in a massive product return landfill issue

Philips wanted to raise awareness for the hidden issue of e-waste, while becoming part of the solution.

Philips promoted their returned products as an exclusive range - “The Better Than New” Refurb Editions. Offering upgraded warranties and a message about being better for the planet.

They flipped their e-commerce model: selling only the refurbished products – instead of new until every single refurbished product was sold out.

They also created an interactive virtual experience to highlight the consequence of returned gifts ending in landfills that drove significant sales.

In 2023, it was estimated that 50 million gifts were returned in the EU with over 10 million ending in landfill. Most people don’t realize the potential harm that comes to the environment when returning a new product. There is also a wave of conscious gifting taking place with 1 in 3 people in Germany, a key market, saying they would be happier to receive a second-hand gift.

The strategy was to challenge the convention that newness is better while highlighting the benefits that refurbished has.

To drive awareness, Philips closed its website for selling new products on Earth Day. And piled the returned gifts virtually in Berlin. Instead of a landfill, turning them into an interactive digital store in which you could buy Philips Refurb Gifts. Making it fun and easy for people to make a better choice, while making potential landfills smaller, one gift at a time.

0 Phillips products ended up in landfill thanks to the initiative.

Selling their returned products, became the fastest promotion in Philips history. 52 thousand returned products were sold, stopping 185 tons of e-waste and an estimated 277 tons of CO2 emissions.