European retail property company Redevco, a member of The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), will brief the European Commission and the influential Retail Forum in Brussels on 24 June on sustainability initiatives currently being implemented by Redevco and retailer C&A within the European retail development sector.
The Retail Forum is a multi-stakeholder platform set up in 2009 to exchange best practice on sustainability within the European retail sector. Retailers are in a unique position to influence and encourage both suppliers and customers to adopt more sustainable practices.
As the 60,000 strong global trade association of the shopping center industry, ICSC enables members to present the industry's issues clearly within the European Union. The organization also provides unique access to retail organisations and intelligence from across the world.
Derk Welling Manager Sustainability, Energy & Environment at Redevco and member of the ICSC Sustainability Working Group will brief the European Commission and the Retail Forum on the significant achievements of the retail property industry over the last four years in setting and implementing new sustainability standards across Europe.
ICSC actively promotes sustainable development in the European retail real estate sector. The organization set up its European Sustainability Working Group in 2006 and supported the launch of the first ever pan-European sustainability standard for retail property developments, 'BREEAM Retail'. The 'BREEAM in Use' Standard to certify sustainable operational management is now under development.
Derk Welling said: "Redevco has long regarded sustainability as integral to its business activities. As a responsible property owner and developer, and a founding member of the ICSC European Sustainability Working Group, we are making ground-breaking improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings. Harm to the environment is minimized and retail tenants benefit thanks to reduced energy bills. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to showcase the work that large developers such as Redevco are doing with retailers such as C&A on the measurement of the carbon footprint of stores across Europe."
Other speakers at the event are Harald Schoenberger, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies at the European Commission and Marion Sollback, Manager Sustainability and Environment at METRO Group and Chair of the Retail Forum.
Source: Nicky Godding Communications
