In the early part of 2011, we wrote about a new global branding initiative for the industry that was set to “change how the world consumes energy, one product at a time”. It was a lofty claim, for sure, but has WindMade begun to deliver on its ambition? Or even started to make a difference? PES investigates.
You’ll have perhaps seen the branding at various events in the past year, and maybe read about the initiative in the press, but the non-profit-making consortium’s worthy mission is to encourage global corporations to make their products using eco-friendly renewable wind energy. The new eco-label will identify wind-produced products and bring the actions of socially-responsible corporations to motivated consumers, thereby also helping to raise the profile of the world’s renewables industry.
Or, to put it simply, it’s a consumer branding exercise similar in approach to the enviably successful FairTrade initiative.
As Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of GWEC and interim CEO of WindMade, said: “The WindMade initiative is a direct response to increasing consumer demand for sustainable products. Governments are dragging their feet but consumers want to see change now. The private sector needs to step up to provide the solutions we need to respond to the global energy and climate crises. With WindMade, we want to facilitate the change that the public demands.”
The founding partners are The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), World Wildlife Fund, (WWF) the LEGO Group, the UN Global Compact, Vestas Wind Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bloomberg. They’re all huge names indeed, but do they overshadow the initiative?
Well, perhaps not, according to a new book titled The Zeronauts, which highlights the exercise as one of the world’s 50 most ground-breaking and innovative green initiatives. The man behind WindMade, Group Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing in Vestas, Morten Albaek is recognised in the book for his efforts alongside other global leaders within sustainability such as Ban Ki Moon, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Mohammad Yunus.
