Consumer demand for climate solutions leads to expansion of WindMade label

Supported by UN Global Compact, WWF, GWEC and Vestas, WindMade announces development of new renewable energy label to recognize a wide variety of renewable energy sources

Doha, 4 December 2012.

The WindMade organisation announced today the development of a new consumer label for companies and products made using renewable energy. This will be backed by the UN Global Compact, WWF, Vestas Wind Systems, and the Global Wind Energy Council, the partners behind the WindMade eco-label. This move was declared at a press conference during the COP18 climate negotiations in Doha.

“Expanding WindMade is a natural progression, and this move follows strong demand from the market,” said Steve Sawyer, WindMade’s Chairman. “Today’s announcement will allow us to engage a wider range of interested partners and supporters for this new renewable energy label, which is built on the success of WindMade.”

WindMade was launched in 2011 as the first global consumer label for companies powered with wind energy. A range of major global companies including Motorola, Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank, Widex and BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) have already adopted the WindMade label to demonstrate their commitment to using renewable energy in their operations.

“Both the private sector and consumers have a critical role to play in addressing climate change, and the value of voluntary corporate action cannot be emphasised enough,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC.

“The aim of WindMade to foster corporate commitment to renewable energy and to raise consumer awareness for climate solutions is an important complement to intergovernmental policies.”

The new label in the WindMade family will recognize a wide variety of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and geothermal, as well as hydro power and biomass from approved certification schemes. This will offer added flexibility to companies that use multiple renewable energy technologies in their energy mix.

“This new label continues the progress made by WindMade to successfully engage companies in addressing the impacts of climate change,” said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

“It is fully aligned with the UN Global Compact’s efforts to promote greater corporate sustainability through the use renewable energy.”

“We fully support the expansion of the existing WindMade label portfolio to include a comprehensive renewable energy label. WWF is working towards 100% renewable energy on a global scale, the most important measure to stop catastrophic climate change,” said Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative.

“Progressive business can play a key role in furthering this ambition by voluntarily committing to do more than regulations require, and so support moves by governments worldwide to set ambitious renewable targets for 2030.”

A global survey of 24,000 consumers across 20 countries, conducted earlier this year (1), shows that 92 percent of consumers believe that 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 renewable energy, even at a premium. The WindMade family of labels is founded on the principles of credibility, transparency and intuitive communication, which are critical for an eco-label to capture and retain the attention of consumers.

“Companies are playing an increasingly important role in driving renewable energy investments around the world. We also know from our surveys that consumers are ready to reward companies that use clean energy,” said Morten Albæk, Global Senior Vice President at Vestas and driving force in the conception of WindMade.

“Having a consumer label that creates transparency about company use of renewable energy is really a win-win proposition. We are very pleased to see WindMade take this important step in the journey we initiated two years ago,” Albæk concluded. 

The new label will build on the technical foundations of the WindMade standard and will be applicable to organizations, buildings, events and eventually products.

The WindMade organization remains committed to grow and develop its portfolio of labels to cater to the need of sustainable brands around the world.

The new renewable energy label is under development and will be launched in 2013. 

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Notes to the editor
About WindMade
WindMade is the first global consumer label for companies and products using wind power. The label was launched in 2011 by a consortium including the UN Global Compact, WWF, Vestas Wind Systems, the Global Wind Energy Council, Bloomberg and PwC. A range of major global companies including Motorola, Deutsche Bank, Widex and BD have already joined the WindMade initiative to demonstrate their commitment to using renewable energy in their operations and manufacturing processes.

See www.windmade.org for more information. 

About the United Nations Global Compact 
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With 7,000 corporate signatories in 135 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.
See www.unglobalcompact.org for more information.

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
See www.wwf.org for more information.

About Vestas 
Vestas is the world’s leading manufacturer of wind turbines, with more than 51 GW of cumulative installed capacity operating in more than 70 countries, saving around 55 mil tCO2 every year. The company employs around 19,000 people in operations around the world. In 2011, Vestas spearheaded the WindMade initiative and is the lead sponsor. In 2010, Vestas also launched the Energy Transparency Initiative, which saw the publication of the Global Consumer Wind Study (see above) and the Corporate Renewable Energy Index reporting on corporate voluntary renewable energy procurement.
See www.vestas.com and www.energytransparency.com for more information.

(1) The Global Consumer Wind Study 2012 was commissioned by Vestas and carried out by TNS Gallup, polling over 24,000 consumers in 20 countries on their preferences for renewable energy and the perception of climate-friendly brands.

See http://www.energytransparency.com/reports/vestas-report-global-consumer-wind-
study-2012.pdf for more details.