News Release from Global Wind Energy Council
Wind Industry Profile of
06/16/2011
Global Wind Energy Council: WindMade label standard presented to US market
New York, 15 June 2011. WindMade, the first global consumer label for companies using wind energy, was presented to the public today, on Global Wind Day (15 June). The WindMade initiative took shape as the proposed WindMade technical standard enters a two-month public consultation period.
The proposed standard requires participating companies to source a minimum of 25 per cent of their electricity demand from wind power. This level is set to strike a balance between an ambitious target and an achievable goal for progressive companies striving to make a tangible impact.
The development of the WindMade label has progressed swiftly since its introduction at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2011, with the standard for companies and organisations presented today. Work on the more multifaceted WindMade standard for products is scheduled to begin later this year.
“The initiative is backed by the wind power industry, and we believe that the label will build a bridge between consumers and companies committed to clean energy,” said Steve Sawyer, Chairman of the WindMade Board and Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council. ”We hope to see widespread participation in the public consultation and strongly encourage interested parties to review and comment on the standard”.
“I am extremely pleased to see how far WindMade has come since the presentation in Davos in January,” said Ditlev Engel, President and CEO, Vestas Wind Systems. “Vestas is very proud to be a member of this impressive group of WindMade’s founding partners and I look forward to the day in the near future when consumers can power change and choose products made with wind energy”.
The public consultation period was launched today at an event in New York City, which also saw the introduction of WindMade’s newly appointed CEO Henrik Kuffner. ”I firmly believe that today’s launch is the beginning of a movement that will make a real difference to investments in wind power around the world, and I am very excited to be given the opportunity to spearhead this effort” he said. ”On behalf of WindMade, we would like to thank the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Wind Energy Foundation for hosting the official U.S. launch of WindMade in New York City today.”
The proposed WindMade standard was developed by a Technical Committee, consisting of experts from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), AWEA, LEGO, Climate Friendly, Gold Standard, and Vestas, with Öko-Institut and PricewaterhouseCoopers acting as advisors. In addition, the first draft of the standard has been reviewed by a Sounding Board, which is comprised of representatives from international companies and organisations including Walmart, 3Degrees, Better Place, Dong Energy and others.
“As one of the founding partners, WWF was deeply involved in developing the WindMade standard. We believe that the criteria as proposed today live up to the high standards necessary for the label to serve consumers’ desire to make tangible impact and boost clean renewables,” said Samantha Smith, Leader Global Climate and Energy Initiative, WWF.
“Market-driven solutions like WindMade will increase voluntary purchasing of renewable energy, and complement the national and state standards that create the market,” said Elizabeth Salerno, Chief Economist for the American Wind Energy Association, and a member of the Technical Committee for WindMade.
Pioneered by Vestas Wind Systems, the WindMade initiative was founded as a cooperation between the GWEC, WWF, Vestas, LEGO, the UN Global Compact, PwC (as official Verification Partner), and Bloomberg (official Data Provider).
Following contributions from the public consultation, which will close on 15 August 2011, the final WindMade standard for companies is expected to be presented in September. This will mark the starting point for companies to officially begin applying for WindMade membership and to undergo the certification process. Details of product certification and labelling will follow later in the year.
About WindMade
The WindMade label will be managed through a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy by improving corporations’ ability to communicate their wind energy investments to their stakeholders. WindMade will strive to achieve this by increasing transparency of corporate investments in wind energy, by educating citizens on the implications of using different energy sources, and by empowering consumers to favour corporations who make a real contribution to delivering new wind energy.
About the founding partners:
The Global Wind Energy Council
GWEC is the global wind industry trade association, providing a credible and representative forum for the entire wind energy sector at the international level. GWEC’s mission is to ensure that wind power establishes itself as one of the world’s leading energy sources, providing substantial environmental and economic benefits.
windmade arrow www.gwec.net
WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. It is an independent foundation registered under Swiss law. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’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.
windmade arrow www.wwfepo.org
United Nations Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies around the world to align their strategies and operations with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of broader UN goals. Through the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible corporate policies and practices, business can help ensure that markets advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body, but a voluntary leadership platform for dialogue and learning. With more than 8,900 signatories in over 135 countries, it is the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative.
windmade arrow www.unglobalcompact.org
The LEGO Group
Founded in 1932, the LEGO Group is one of the world's largest toy manufacturers. LEGO® products are sold all over the globe. The LEGO Group is committed to supporting the improvement of issues that concern its stakeholders and has set ambitious renewable energy targets as part of its ‘Environment, Social and Governance’ agenda. “A global standard will help create transparency of our and other corporations’ activities within the area of renewable energy. We are supporting this initiative because we believe that it will contribute to increasing the global demand of renewable energy in corporations”, says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO of the LEGO Group.
windmade arrow www.lego.com
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PwC is the Official Verification Partner for WindMade. PwC is one of the world’s largest providers of assurance, tax, and business consulting services. Every day, 161,000 PwC people in 154 countries work hard to build strong relationships with others and understand the issues and aspirations that drive them. PwC measures success by an ability to create the value that clients, people and the wider investing public are looking for. “Developing a global standard for corporations’ investments in wind energy is a truly novel and ambitious undertaking and we at PwC are happy to lend our expertise as the leading advisor to the technical committee developing the WindMade standard”, says Dennis Nally, Global Chairman of PwC.
windmade arrow www.lego.com
Vestas Wind Systems
Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the prevention of climate change. Wind power from Vestas’ more than 40,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by more than 40 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence. Vestas is the global market leader in the wind energy sector and operates in 65 countries with 30 years of experience as the only global pure-play wind power plant producer and industry pioneer. Vestas’ 20,000+ employees are relentlessly committed to wind energy and WindMade is an excellent example of Vestas’ dedication to renewable energy globally.
windmade arrow www.vestas.com
Bloomberg
Bloomberg is the Official Data Provider to WindMade. In 1981 Bloomberg started out with one core belief: that bringing transparency to capital markets through access to information could increase capital flows, produce economic growth and jobs, and significantly reduce the cost of doing business. Today’s Bloomberg builds on that foundation - everything Bloomberg does connects decision makers in business, finance and government to a broad and dynamic network of information, news, people and ideas that enables faster, more effective decisions.
“The willingness of corporations to disclose the sources of energy going into their products will be required by investors, who are increasingly looking for ‘extra financial’ information. As the Official Data Provider to WindMade, Bloomberg believes that consumer standards and increased transparency of corporations’ investments in wind energy will accelerate global adoption,” said Curtis Ravanel, Global Director, Sustainability windmade arrow www.bloomberg.net
The proposed standard requires participating companies to source a minimum of 25 per cent of their electricity demand from wind power. This level is set to strike a balance between an ambitious target and an achievable goal for progressive companies striving to make a tangible impact.
The development of the WindMade label has progressed swiftly since its introduction at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2011, with the standard for companies and organisations presented today. Work on the more multifaceted WindMade standard for products is scheduled to begin later this year.
“The initiative is backed by the wind power industry, and we believe that the label will build a bridge between consumers and companies committed to clean energy,” said Steve Sawyer, Chairman of the WindMade Board and Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council. ”We hope to see widespread participation in the public consultation and strongly encourage interested parties to review and comment on the standard”.
“I am extremely pleased to see how far WindMade has come since the presentation in Davos in January,” said Ditlev Engel, President and CEO, Vestas Wind Systems. “Vestas is very proud to be a member of this impressive group of WindMade’s founding partners and I look forward to the day in the near future when consumers can power change and choose products made with wind energy”.
The public consultation period was launched today at an event in New York City, which also saw the introduction of WindMade’s newly appointed CEO Henrik Kuffner. ”I firmly believe that today’s launch is the beginning of a movement that will make a real difference to investments in wind power around the world, and I am very excited to be given the opportunity to spearhead this effort” he said. ”On behalf of WindMade, we would like to thank the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Wind Energy Foundation for hosting the official U.S. launch of WindMade in New York City today.”
The proposed WindMade standard was developed by a Technical Committee, consisting of experts from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), AWEA, LEGO, Climate Friendly, Gold Standard, and Vestas, with Öko-Institut and PricewaterhouseCoopers acting as advisors. In addition, the first draft of the standard has been reviewed by a Sounding Board, which is comprised of representatives from international companies and organisations including Walmart, 3Degrees, Better Place, Dong Energy and others.
“As one of the founding partners, WWF was deeply involved in developing the WindMade standard. We believe that the criteria as proposed today live up to the high standards necessary for the label to serve consumers’ desire to make tangible impact and boost clean renewables,” said Samantha Smith, Leader Global Climate and Energy Initiative, WWF.
“Market-driven solutions like WindMade will increase voluntary purchasing of renewable energy, and complement the national and state standards that create the market,” said Elizabeth Salerno, Chief Economist for the American Wind Energy Association, and a member of the Technical Committee for WindMade.
Pioneered by Vestas Wind Systems, the WindMade initiative was founded as a cooperation between the GWEC, WWF, Vestas, LEGO, the UN Global Compact, PwC (as official Verification Partner), and Bloomberg (official Data Provider).
Following contributions from the public consultation, which will close on 15 August 2011, the final WindMade standard for companies is expected to be presented in September. This will mark the starting point for companies to officially begin applying for WindMade membership and to undergo the certification process. Details of product certification and labelling will follow later in the year.
About WindMade
The WindMade label will be managed through a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy by improving corporations’ ability to communicate their wind energy investments to their stakeholders. WindMade will strive to achieve this by increasing transparency of corporate investments in wind energy, by educating citizens on the implications of using different energy sources, and by empowering consumers to favour corporations who make a real contribution to delivering new wind energy.
About the founding partners:
The Global Wind Energy Council
GWEC is the global wind industry trade association, providing a credible and representative forum for the entire wind energy sector at the international level. GWEC’s mission is to ensure that wind power establishes itself as one of the world’s leading energy sources, providing substantial environmental and economic benefits.
windmade arrow www.gwec.net
WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. It is an independent foundation registered under Swiss law. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’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.
windmade arrow www.wwfepo.org
United Nations Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies around the world to align their strategies and operations with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of broader UN goals. Through the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible corporate policies and practices, business can help ensure that markets advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body, but a voluntary leadership platform for dialogue and learning. With more than 8,900 signatories in over 135 countries, it is the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative.
windmade arrow www.unglobalcompact.org
The LEGO Group
Founded in 1932, the LEGO Group is one of the world's largest toy manufacturers. LEGO® products are sold all over the globe. The LEGO Group is committed to supporting the improvement of issues that concern its stakeholders and has set ambitious renewable energy targets as part of its ‘Environment, Social and Governance’ agenda. “A global standard will help create transparency of our and other corporations’ activities within the area of renewable energy. We are supporting this initiative because we believe that it will contribute to increasing the global demand of renewable energy in corporations”, says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO of the LEGO Group.
windmade arrow www.lego.com
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PwC is the Official Verification Partner for WindMade. PwC is one of the world’s largest providers of assurance, tax, and business consulting services. Every day, 161,000 PwC people in 154 countries work hard to build strong relationships with others and understand the issues and aspirations that drive them. PwC measures success by an ability to create the value that clients, people and the wider investing public are looking for. “Developing a global standard for corporations’ investments in wind energy is a truly novel and ambitious undertaking and we at PwC are happy to lend our expertise as the leading advisor to the technical committee developing the WindMade standard”, says Dennis Nally, Global Chairman of PwC.
windmade arrow www.lego.com
Vestas Wind Systems
Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the prevention of climate change. Wind power from Vestas’ more than 40,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by more than 40 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence. Vestas is the global market leader in the wind energy sector and operates in 65 countries with 30 years of experience as the only global pure-play wind power plant producer and industry pioneer. Vestas’ 20,000+ employees are relentlessly committed to wind energy and WindMade is an excellent example of Vestas’ dedication to renewable energy globally.
windmade arrow www.vestas.com
Bloomberg
Bloomberg is the Official Data Provider to WindMade. In 1981 Bloomberg started out with one core belief: that bringing transparency to capital markets through access to information could increase capital flows, produce economic growth and jobs, and significantly reduce the cost of doing business. Today’s Bloomberg builds on that foundation - everything Bloomberg does connects decision makers in business, finance and government to a broad and dynamic network of information, news, people and ideas that enables faster, more effective decisions.
“The willingness of corporations to disclose the sources of energy going into their products will be required by investors, who are increasingly looking for ‘extra financial’ information. As the Official Data Provider to WindMade, Bloomberg believes that consumer standards and increased transparency of corporations’ investments in wind energy will accelerate global adoption,” said Curtis Ravanel, Global Director, Sustainability windmade arrow www.bloomberg.net
- Source:
- Global Wind Energy Council
- Email:
- angelika.pullen@gwec.net
- Link:
- www.gwec.net/...
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