Goodnight Light: Plenitude’s book for becoming friends with the dark

Plenitude launches Goodnight Light, a new communication project designed to encourage energy saving by helping children overcome their fear of the dark. The initiative aligns with Plenitude’s mission as a Benefit Corporation, promoting a positive impact on people and the environment while engaging the younger generations.

Fear of the dark is a common feeling, especially among children. When it’s time to fall asleep in their own bed, perhaps alone, everything becomes quieter, their attention softens, and the world that felt so familiar and manageable during the day turns more mysterious. Imagination awakens, filling the room with shadows and shapes.

A Doxa^[1] survey carried out in collaboration with Plenitude in Italy, Spain and France to support this international project found that three out of four children aged 3 to 9 are afraid of the dark, especially when going to bed or waking up during the night. Families have to manage this fear on a daily basis and try to reassure their children by finding solutions that help them feel safe during the night.

Among the most common strategies, most parents choose to leave a light on in their child’s room to help them fall asleep peacefully. This widespread habit is not energy‑efficient and often reinforces children’s sense of insecurity rather than helping them overcome their fear.

“Children need to be given something tangible to help them face what scares them, so they can feel in control of it. This is why turning the dark - an abstract, pervasive and enveloping presence - into a character can be so effective,” explained pedagogical expert Elena Urso. “Giving a visible and understandable form to a feeling, or to something abstract like the fear of the dark, allows children to feel they can get to know it, understand it and face it calmly. A familiar bedtime ritual can help guide them toward a peaceful sleep. In this sense, reading a story is an excellent habit: it soothes children, helps them relax, and allows them to process their worries”.

Therefore, darkness can become a good friend and even help reduce energy consumption: a bedtime ritual, such as reading a story in soft lighting, can create a familiar and reassuring atmosphere.

This is the rationale behind launching Goodnight Light. The book will be available free of charge to the public on 20 and 21 March in participating Plenitude flagship stores. Created in collaboration with TBWA\Italy and the authors Elisa Binda and Mattia Perego^[2] and illustrator Hello Saris^[3], the book is printed with a special ink that appears only in the dark and recharges with daylight. Its pages, blank when exposed to light, glow in the dark and fill with words to tell the story of Lucilla and Ombro, her special friend, who through a playful rhyme explains that the dark is not something to fear, but a precious ally in saving energy.

“Goodnight Light enriches a moment of family intimacy and a child’s sense of calm with a valuable educational message about energy efficiency. Through a creative and playful language that brings adults and children together, the project opens a dialogue on the themes and values that have always guided Plenitude’s culture and positioning,” said Giorgia Molajoni, Chief Technology and Communication Officer of Plenitude.

Further information on the initiative is available at https://eniplenitude.com/goodnightlight