Kingfisher joins “Collectively”, a sustainable living coalition of the world’s biggest companies

A coalition of the world’s biggest companies and non-profits have launched a global digital platform to drive conversation and action on sustainability.

Collectively, will celebrate and connect the people, places and cutting-edge ideas that are shaping the future. It will focus on giving a global stage to audiences who are already starting to make life choices that strengthen society, as well as minimising their environmental impact. Their desire for workplaces, brands and organisations that align with those values helped inspire this collaboration. The ultimate aim is to make sustainable living the new normal.

Collectively brings together global sustainability non-profit Forum of the Future with some of the biggest companies in the world. Kingfisher, Unilever, BT Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Marks & Spencer, Carlsberg, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, McDonalds, Nike, PepsiCo and Nestlé to name but a few, are already in and are keen to broaden the coalition to NGOs, youth organisations and other brands.

Collectively is designed to enable audiences to act more sustainably in whatever way they can – from buying, investing and campaigning to sharing an idea they believe in. It represents a unique new approach to the way businesses engage consumers on sustainability, which it is hoped will grow the marketplace for sustainable products and services.

Will Gardner, CEO, Collectively, said:

“Encouraging people to choose to live, work and play sustainably on a scale that will genuinely make a difference is one of the world’s biggest challenges. We hope to change that through Collectively. It’s a place to share stories, inspire each other and create the change we need to see in the world. Collectively brings together some of the world’s biggest brands, non-profits and leading social entrepreneurs because we believe that together we can achieve much more, much faster.”

Richard Gillies, Group Sustainability Director, Kingfisher, said:

“People often ask me how you encourage businesses to increase their sustainability offer and the answer is straight forward – increase demand for it. Sadly, there isn’t a silver bullet to do that or we’d have cracked it by now but making this agenda engaging, desirable and affordable for people is key. We’re a proud supporter of Collectively and are confident that the editorial independence of the site, which will offer inspiring and engaging content, has the potential to create positive change and make sustainable living the new normal.”

About Collectively:

Collectively is a non-profit editorial platform, developed alongside VICE Media’s creative services division, VIRTUE, global sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future, and Purpose, leaders in building social movements. The independent editorial team will update the site with stories, information and solutions from the worlds of home, fashion, food, design, architecture, technology and more. The platform’s audience will also be encouraged to submit ideas for the channel around a series of themes that will be regularly refreshed such as healthy homes and the smartest city. Only highly engaging stories with the potential to create positive change will be featured. The original idea for Collectively was sparked by discussions at the World Economic Forum about how to inspire and accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable way of life.

Sponsors to date include:

Audi; BT Group; C&A Foundation; Carlsberg; Diageo; Facebook; General Mills; Google; Havas; IPG; Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies; Kingfisher; Lenovo; Marks & Spencer; McDonalds; Medialink; Microsoft; Nestlé; Nike; Omnicom; PepsiCo; Philips; SABMiller; Salesforce; The Coca Cola Company; The Dow Chemical Company; Twitter; Unilever; WPP.

For more information on Collectively:

Visit http://www.collectively.org/

Source : Kingfisher Press Release
www.kingfisher.com/index.asp?pageid=55&newsid=1069