XPT’s Rob Bevan has been responsible for delivering together.com, the web site that lies at the heart of the ‘We’re in this together’campaign, launched today by Tony Blair and eight major UK companies.
‘We’re in this together’ will provide both ideas for behavioural change and practical solutions to help consumers reduce their household CO2 emissions by one tonne over three years.
In an unprecedented demonstration of support, retailers, banking, media and service providers from across the UK (B&Q, Barclaycard, British Gas, Marks & Spencer, O2, Royal & SunAlliance, BSkyB & Tesco) have all united behind this initiative, with more brands set to join throughout 2007 including HSBC and National Express. The coalition also reaches outside business with active support coming from the Energy Saving Trust, Defra, the National Consumer Council and The Church of England.
The campaign, building over 3 years, aims to reach every UK household by continuing to increase the number of brands in the partnership, and the number of initiatives offered to consumers. Should every UK household take up the campaign initiatives, there is a potential saving of 25million tonnes of CO2; more than the combined emissions of Scotland and Wales.
Partners will provide either products, services or advice for consumers to actively facilitate the reduction of their household emissions. These initiatives will be brought together on www.together.com where the collective reduction in emissions will be calculated, intermediate targets established, and people given access to information on how they can take part.
Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group says, “Today marks an unprecedented commitment from some of the UK’s favourite brands to help their customers tackle climate change. These brands have come up with new and innovative ways to make it easier to save energy, from watching TV, insulating roofs and insuring cars, to washing our clothes and lighting our homes.”
Dr Howard continues, “People need to feel that these companies have developed solutions which allow consumers to make do their bit. It’s a case of leading by example and all our partners are committed to making dealing with climate change more accessible to their customers. The success of the campaign will rest on reaching as many people as possible, not just the usual audience for green initiatives.”
