• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 7, 2014

In a bid to display their corporate citizenship credentials to consumers concerned about the world’s growing environmental woes, a number of big brands and WPP are backing the launch a new digital media platform designed to generate a global conversation and  “inspire action” on the sustainability front.

The new platform, called Collectively, will “celebrate and connect the people, places and cutting-edge ideas that are shaping the future,” according to a release issued by WPP Tuesday.  The holding company added that “It will focus on giving a global stage to audiences who are already starting to make life choices that strengthen societies, as well as minimizing their environmental impact.”

According to WPP the idea for the platform was sparked by discussions at the World Economic Forum about how to inspire and accelerate more sustainable ways of living. As a result, Unilever, BT Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Marks & Spencer and Carlsberg came together to sponsor the effort and have been joined  over 20 other leading multinational companies including Google, Facebook, Nike, PepsiCo and Nestle.

The sponsor companies said they want to broaden the coalition to include more non-profits, youth organizations and other brands.

The platform was developed by VICE Media’s creative services division, VIRTUE, global sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future, and Purpose, an organization devoted to building social movements. 

Collectively will be updated daily by an independent editorial team with stories and other information from the worlds of 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 future foodies and the smartest city.

Unilever’s Will Gardner, VP, Global Marketing Projects, serves as CEO of the platform. “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.”

Added Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer, Unilever:  “What makes Collectively unique is the first-of-its-kind coalition that sits behind it. Some of the world’s leading brands and multinational companies – many of who are usually keen competitors – have put aside their differences in recognition of the fact this is an issue that demands collective action.”

More on the platform can be seen here.