The company, which has products in 62 countries and operates from 10 field offices and four international hubs, empowers an average of five lives with each product sold. Having now sold over 10 million of its award-winning solar lanterns and solar home systems throughout its eight-year history, d.light is proving the viability of social enterprises as global agents of change.
d.light has continued to show commitment to off the grid consumers with its products, achieving an 84% market share in the entry-level solar lantern category according to Lighting Global. This commitment is consistent with the companys founding mission to eradicate the kerosene lantern.
d.light is proving that social enterprises can scale and spark the kind of change needed to solve some of the worlds biggest problems, said Ned Tozun, CEO and co-founder of d.light. When we first pitched the business to investors, we were told that what we were trying to do was impossible. Our customers, employees and partners have proven that our business model of providing high quality solar products to off-grid families is not only possible, but it is serving a true market need across the globe.
More than one billion people lack access to electricity in the developing world, with another billion reliant on power that is sporadic at best. Without a viable alternative, families are forced to turn to kerosene for lighting a fuel that is expensive, inefficient and hazardous to health. Over a million people die each year from kerosene burns and indoor air pollution, and many families lose their possessions and homes to fires. Solar lighting provides an affordable alternative to kerosene, providing clean, safe, renewable energy that is replenished each day by the sun. To date, 50 million people in the developing world have been empowered by d.light products, allowing them to save money traditionally spent on energy and to increase productive time for working and studying, all while reducing the health and safety risks associated with kerosene.
50 Million is a great achievement, but it is only the beginning, said Sam Goldman, co-founder and board member. In the coming months, we will announce a game-changing product that will empower the next 50 million in just 3 years. Stay tuned.
