Groups behind the push for a label that will identify which products in the market were manufactured using wind energy are confident the world’s corporations are ready for the WindMade label.
On Tuesday, January 18, environment and business groups agreed to develop the first global consumer label which identifies products manufactured using wind energy for environment-savvy consumers.
The Global Wind Energy Council, World Wildlife Federation, Vestas, the Lego Group and the United Nations Global Compact are supporting the WindMade label.
To mark their products as “WindMade,” producers will have to undergo a certification process. However, specific details on what it takes to earn the label’s stamp of approval are still being developed.
But what Helle Jorgensen, sustainability advisory leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, is sure about is that companies will have all the reason to be part of the labeling trend.
In an interview with EcoSeed, Ms. Jorgensen, said wind energy is an excellent choice to have a globally-recognized consumer label because it generates electricity with minimal or no emissions and is widely available.
“Today there is no global label focusing on a single source of energy – and we need to start somewhere,” she said. “Wind is an excellent starting point because of the combination of low emission, widespread availability and cost competitiveness.”
Experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers will be responsible for the actual writing of the standard and are also tasked to verify product submissions.
Ms. Jorgensen believes a globally recognized and credible standard and consumer label will enable companies communicate their commitment to being green with their consumers more straightforwardly.
“A lot of corporations are investing in or thinking about investing in renewable energy. A globally recognized and credible standard and consumer label will enable these corporations to reap the benefits of their investments by more effectively communicating their commitment to their stakeholder groups,” she said.
Ms. Jorgensen said that companies putting the label on their products by complying with the label requirements will also benefit from an effective platform to communicate their wind energy investments to their consumers.
“Corporations that are investing in wind energy will benefit from consumers easily being able to identify them as corporations committed to sustainability and wind energy,” she said.
A global survey found that 92 percent of more than 25,000 consumers across 20 markets believe renewable energy is a good solution to slow down climate change.
If presented with a choice, most of them also said they would prefer products specifically made with wind energy, even at a premium, according to the WindMade group, citing the TNS Gallup survey published in June 2010.
WindMade expects the final standard to be ready for approval by its board of directors in early April, while the label itself is planned to be introduced on Global Wind Day, June 15th, 2011
The WindMade initiative will be presented in more detail at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 28. A public consultation will be held from March 2011 concerning the development of the certification standard.