An international product label is being developed to indicate when goods have been made by companies using wind energy
Dedicated to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy, Windmade is a direct response to increasing demand for sustainable products, said the founding partner organisations, which include: The Global Wind Energy Council, WWF, the Lego Group, the UN Global Compact, Vestas Wind Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bloomberg.
“Governments are dragging their feet, but consumers want to see change now,” said Steve Sawyer, the interim CEO of WindMade and secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council.
A global survey of more than 25,000 consumers showed that 92% believe renewable energy is a good solution to mitigating climate change, and that if presented with a choice, most of them would prefer products made with wind energy, even at a premium.
“WindMade has the potential to be a strong force in advancing the use of renewable energy by businesses everywhere,” said Georg Kell, executive director of UN Global Compact, an organisation helping companies to align their work with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
The partners said they want to build a bridge between consumers and companies committed to clean energy. The WindMade label, which will be managed by a non-profit organisation, is intended to create “a strong consumer pull,” to accelerate the building of new wind energy infrastructure over and above what would be developed anyway, and are encouraging forward-looking companies to join the scheme. Members will undergo a certification process, which is currently being developed and will be informed by a public consultation.
