WindMade Consumer Label to Inspire COP17 (South Africa)

WindMade™ is the first independent consumer label successfully developed by a corporation and is also the first consumer label to be officially endorsed by the UN Global Compact. With leading global brands such as Motorola Mobility, Deutsche Bank, Becton Dickinson and Bloomberg now committing to wind energy – the spotlight is back on governments and policy makers as COP17 gets underway in Durban, South Africa.

“Finding solutions to combat climate change is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play – governments, corporations and consumers”, said Ditlev Engel CEO of Vestas and continues:

“With ambitious and transparent long-term policy frameworks for green energy, we will succeed. In Durban, the scene is now set for governments to step up to the challenge. And we believe the recent corporate WindMade commitments should serve as an inspiration to the negotiators.”

Last week on 25 November 2011, Vestas became the first Danish corporation to receive the Brand Leadership Award at the Global Awards for Brand Excellence summit for founding and developing the WindMade™ consumer label.

“Vestas have with the creation of the world’s first consumer label for products produced with wind, WindMade, developed a branding concept which in 2011 is among the most unique globally. WindMade has the potential to change the world by transforming wind into a tangible label, and a brand that will empower millions of consumers across the globe to every day act and react on climate change by choosing products that are WindMade”, said the awarding jury in a statement.

This award follows the 2011 Wind Energy Advocacy Award that was recently presented to Vestas by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) for the introduction of WindMade™, where WindMade was rewarded for being “probably the most unique communication innovation made in the wind business in the last 30 years.”

The WindMade idea was conceived in Vestas during 2010 and publicly announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year in a broad partnership assembled by Vestas. The other founding partners of WindMade™ were UN Global Compact, Bloomberg, PwC, The LEGO Group and the Global Wind Energy Council. The partnership has since established a non-profit organization to operate the label.

“Within one year we have developed WindMade from an idea to an operational NGO with 15 prominent brands committed. With WindMade Vestas is providing a unique sustainable energy communication platform for our customers and our customers’ customers,” said Ditlev Engel CEO of Vestas.

The newly founded WindMade organization recently released its consumer label together with 15 global brands committed to certification. This occurred at a global launch event hosted by UN Global Compact in New York on November 18th. Among the global brands committed to using the WindMade are Motorola Mobility, Deutsche Bank, Becton Dickinson, Bloomberg and PwC. The complete list of companies is estimated to have a combined market capitalization comparable to the entire Danish OMXC20 index. The estimated total electricity certified by these 15 companies would be enough to power >200.000 Danish households for one year.

“The global economy is facing turbulent times – and in turbulence true innovation leaders find opportunities” said Morten Albæk, Group Senior Vice President for Global Marketing & Customer Insight at Vestas. “For Vestas, WindMade is a way to build our brand towards new and existing customers while driving new demand for wind energy at the same time.”

The next priorities for the WindMade™ organization are to increase the global corporate membership and expand the label program. Currently, organizations can certify their global operations and individual locations WindMade™. A separate product label, that will allow companies to mark their products as WindMade™, is under development and consumers can expect to see the first WindMade™ products hitting the shelves in 1H 2012.

“The ultimate power of WindMade lies in the product label” said Morten Albæk. “Next year we will all have multiple votes to cast for a more sustainable planet – the political vote and the votes we cast daily with our wallets”.

Vestas will continue to work with the WindMade™ organization to ensure fast adoption of the label, by among other things supporting launch activities in Asia and Latin America to ensure the label gains traction globally.

Furthermore, Vestas is committed to continue developing initiatives like WindMade that enable consumers and citizens to take concrete actions and join a global movement for wind and contribute to a faster deployment of wind energy around the world.

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Offshore WIND staff, December 01, 2011; Image: vestas