Lidl’s distribution centre becomes first in Ireland to achieve BREEAM certification
Retailer's Newbridge distribution centre received an 'Excellent' rating, with a score of more than 76%
Print21 September 2020
Lidl’s newly opened Newbridge Regional Distribution Centre has achieved BREEAM Excellent; making it the first distribution centre in Ireland to be awarded with certification from the world-leading sustainability assessment for buildings.
As part of the certification process, Lidl Ireland partnered with BirdWatch Ireland to install 45 bird boxes at the centre, to help maintain the natural wildlife habitat and enhance biodiversity. The installation comprises a mix of bird boxes catering to a broad scope of bird species with the addition of several bat boxes, which have also been installed at the Newbridge facility to support night-time pollination.
Lidl Ireland has already adopted a number of measures to enhance the sustainability of the building and its surrounds, including having the largest rooftop solar array in the country, a ‘biodiversity corridor’, planting of nearly 6,000 native trees and a pollinator zone abutting the building which facilitates wildflower meadows conserving native flower species and encouraging new growth.
The news coincides with World Green Building Week (21 – 28 September), and forms part of Lidl’s sustainability strategy ‘A Better Tomorrow’.
Dr Shamir Ghumra, BREEAM director at BRE, praised Lidl’s long-term commitment to BREEAM, pointing out that the Newbridge distribution centre had achieved an Excellent rating with a score of more than 76%.
“This represents a great achievement for both Lidl and BREEAM in Ireland where we see a growing demand for BREEAM in response to a global movement for change and market transformation,” Dr Ghumra said.
Praising Lidl’s “holistic approach to sustainability assessment,” she added that its high rating is “helping to raise the bar of building performance”.
Having partnered with Lidl Ireland to install more than 40 bird boxes in support of the retailer’s BREEAM status, Niall Hatch, BirdWatch Ireland’s head of development and communications, described working with Lidl as “a fantastic opportunity” to create nesting sites for a variety of bird species.
“Conservation of our natural environment is just something that doesn’t happen enough, so it is great to see Lidl leading the way,” he said.
Lidl Ireland’s head of CSR, Owen Keogh, said sustainability is at the group’s core “from responsible sourcing to waste management and beyond.
“We are continuously looking at ways to minimise our impact and enhance sustainability throughout our business and BREEAM is the perfect example of that,” Keogh said. “Becoming the first distribution centre in Ireland to achieve the BREEAM status demonstrates Lidl’s leadership in the sustainability field and it is something that we are incredibly proud of.”
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