Today, EcoVadis, WindEurope and five leading wind energy industry organisations - ENGIE, Hitachi Energy, Siemens Gamesa, Statkraft and Vestas – announce the launch of the ‘Wind Energy Initiative’. The Initiative aims to accelerate the uptake of sustainable practices by fostering strong collaboration between trading partners and amplifying positive impacts across their value chains.

European politicians, citizens and businesses want reliable, affordable and clean energy. Wind energy is a local, competitive, and scalable resource that can provide that energy.

With the launch of the ‘Wind Energy Initiative’ [1] key players in the wind energy industry join forces today to identify and adopt common sustainable business practices. The aim of the Initiative is to achieve a lasting, positive impact on supply chain sustainability.

The Initiative’s members – EcoVadis, WindEurope, ENGIE, Hitachi Energy, Siemens Gamesa, Statkraft and Vestas – pledge to work together to enhance supply chain transparency and bring up the wind industry’s performance standards on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) topics. They commit themselves to be the flagship of a just, socially responsible, and sustainable energy transition. To underscore its commitment to exemplary sustainable practices, the Wind Energy Initiative sets the following strategic goals to:

• Enhance the wind industry’s contribution to the global effort in combating climate change by prioritising carbon emission reduction, emphasising the integration of renewable energy, and embracing circular practices.
• Continue to advance the well-being and fair treatment of all individuals involved in the wind energy supply chain.
• Continue to promote biodiversity conservation to protect ecosystems impacted by activities related to the wind energy sector.
• Foster substantial membership growth in the coming years.

These strategic goals present a shared vision of sustainable, ethical, and environmentally responsible practices and will guide the Initiative’s endeavours. To achieve these goals, the Wind Energy Initiative will implement the EcoVadis sustainability ratings methodology as a voluntary standard for assessing their suppliers, and support suppliers in their sustainability journey by communicating a clear strategy and targeted enhancements to drive their ESG performance improvement.

Click here [2] for more information about the Wind Energy Initiative.

To find out how your organisation can join the Wind Energy Initiative, contact us here [3].

Note to Editors:
WindEurope is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting wind energy across Europe. We have over 500 members from across the whole value chain of wind energy; wind turbine manufacturers; component suppliers; power utilities and wind farm developers; financial institutions; research institutes and the national wind energy associations. 

For additional questions, please contact:
Christoph Zipf
WindEurope
Press & Communications Manager
christoph.zipf@windeurope.org [4]
+32 492 25 48 38