LSE listed RS Group plc, a global supplier of product and service solutions for industrial customers, has entered a new three-year partnership with international development charity SolarAid, aiming to raise £1 million to deliver clean, safe solar lights to 150 000 people living in rural communities across Africa without access to electricity.
Access to clean, safe solar light is a powerful catalyst for education, safety, and opportunity. [Photo Credit: SolarAid / Jason J Mulikita]
The partnership forms part of RS Group’s 2030 ESG action plan and champions the group’s ambition to ‘make amazing happen for a brighter world’. Combining corporate donations, matched funding, RS PRO product contributions, employee fundraising, and gifts in kind, RS Group will help accelerate SolarAid’ s mission to create thriving solar businesses that tackle poverty and climate change.
Just one solar light benefits every member of the household, providing for an up to 90% reduction in the use of kerosene, candles or torches, with a 95% saving on household energy spend, and enabling children to study safely for the first time after sunset. It also reduces carbon emissions in the transition to renewable energy. A paraffin candle reportedly emits three times its weight in CO2 and a kerosene lamp emits over a tonne of carbon over three years.
Employee engagement
RS and SolarAid are aligned as providers of products and solutions that support the low-carbon transition with a focus on renewables. As a leader in industrial MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) services, the RS team's expertise will support SolarAid’s global and local repair programmes, helping build a circular solar economy in off-grid communities. RS employees worldwide will be encouraged to get involved through skills-based volunteering, fundraising challenges, and awareness-raising activities. Planned initiatives include:
- Skills-based volunteering – RS experts will seek to support SolarAid projects, such as improving its Repair App, which helps communities extend the life of solar lights and reduce waste through simple repairs
- On-the-ground engagement – opportunities to visit SolarAid-supported communities in Malawi and Zambia, as well as welcoming SolarAid representatives to RS markets for live demonstrations
- Active for Change – a global fundraising challenge where employees raise money by logging physical activity in teams.
RS employees are entitled to two annual volunteering days, and the company aims to inspire 50% of colleagues to use this time to support their communities and the SolarAid partnership.
Proven impact
SolarAid’s recent notable recent achievement in Kasakula, Malawi, underscores the partnership’s potential. On 26 August 2025, 100% of households, all local schools, and the health clinic in Kasakula gained solar access through the Light a Village initiative – an example of what’s possible when communities, charities, and partners align around a bold, shared goal.
Collaborating for a brighter future
Andrea Barrett, Chief Sustainability Officer at RS Group, said: “We are proud to partner with SolarAid on this important mission. Access to clean, safe solar light is a powerful catalyst for education, safety, and opportunity. The success in Kasakula demonstrates that 100% electricity access can be achieved in one of the world’s most remote regions and that extending energy access is scalable.”
John Keane, CEO of SolarAid, said: “Working in partnership with RS Group, our shared purpose has been clear from the start. Like RS Group, we strive to innovate the best solutions for our customers so we can deliver sustainable energy access. We are excited by the opportunity we have together, to progress our mission and bring clean, safe light and power to those living in the most remote, hardest to reach communities.”
RS Group and SolarAid aim to create a movement of shared purpose and innovation. To amplify the collective impact, RS Group will match donations and funds raised by employees, further reinforcing its commitment to empowering communities.
SolarAid, established in 2006, is a UK based, international charity dedicated to bringing solar power to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with its social enterprise, SunnyMoney, the organisation is pioneering enterprise programmes that tackle poverty and climate change by providing access to clean, safe solar light to homes, clinics and schools. To date, SolarAid has distributed 2.3 million lights across sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information visit: www.rsgroup.com and http://solaraid.org