A coalition of the world’s biggest companies, such as Uniliver, BT and M&S , media partners and non-profits is today launching a global digital media platform to drive global conversation and action on sustainability.

The new platform, called 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 societies, as well as minimising their environmental impact.

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The main purpose of the project is to make people aware about the issues that are surrounding sustainability and make them talking about their solutions. The scheme will initially focus on consumers between 18 and 30 years aged generations, who will be engaging with the content by sharing & viewing it, before asking them to change their own behaviour or come up with sustainable living ideas. Many companies are doing a lot of work on the supply side in terms of deforestation and sustainable farming, that won’t scale unless consumers demand more sustainable products, whether this platform will be updated with stories, videos and blog posts on how w to live sustainably. Viewers will also be cheered to submit their own ideas around themes such as “future foodies” and the “the smartest city”.

“This is lots of different companies coming together to engage young people across the world at scale to create positive engagement on a better future. At the very beginning we want to create awareness but that alone will be a failure. It will be a positive impact but below our ambition. We are looking for action – people doing things, encouraging others to do things and setting up their own initiatives. Weed said the idea is not be “doom and gloom” about the environment but to highlight innovation, inspiration and “how things can be done”. Keith Weed said, Chief Marketing Officer of Uniliver.”

The site will provide the “sticky and relevant” content, according to BT chief sustainability officer Neil Dunne. At the moment 29 brands have signed up, but group is looking to expand and bring more brands on the board.

“We want brands that are all pulling in the same direction. These must be purposeful brands and organisations who believe in their own power to mobilise millennials for good around the world and that have proved themselves by getting their houses in order. We are very deliberately looking for purposeful brands and purposeful marketers,” said Dunne.

The scheme will be launched in US and UK but there are plans to roll it out globally, in emerging markets such as India, China and Latin America.

This is about more voices, more engagement and bigger impact. BT could achieve all its sustainability goals, Unilever could, and that would get us nowhere. Collectively we can work together to make a huge impact,” said Weed.

Information source: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/brands-join-forces-to-promote-sustainability/4011822.article