One of wind’s biggest challenges has always been obtaining ‘buy-in’ from the consumer. But this looks set to change with the launch of a major new initiative that will soon see a ‘WindMade’ logo emblazoned on dozens of household products. It worked for Fairtrade and organic food, but will it work for wind?
At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland, the WindMade logo and organisation was finally unveiled. The non-profit-making consortium’s enviable mission is to encourage global corporations to make their widgets using eco-friendly renewable wind energy, and 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. At least, that’s the idea.
Among the initial signatories to the consortium are: The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), World Wildlife Fund, (WWF) the LEGO Group, the UN Global Compact, Vestas Wind Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers (the Official WindMade Verification Partner) and Bloomberg (the Official Data Provider to WindMade).
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.”
A global survey of more than 25,000 consumers across 20 markets showed that 92 per cent of respondents believed renewable energy to be a good solution to mitigating climate change. And if presented with a choice most
