Environment
Climate protection is one of the most important issues for Deutsche EuroShop. We believe that sustainability and profitability, the shopping experience and environmental awareness do not have to be opposites. Long-term thinking is part of our strategy. This includes playing our part in environmental protection.
Since 1 January 2008, eight out of ten operational shopping centers in our German portfolio have signed contracts with suppliers that use regenerative energy sources such as hydroelectric power for their electricity needs. From opening day onwards, the shopping centers in Hameln and Passau, due to open in 2008, will also procure their certified green electricity from the ‘EnergieVision’ organisation with the renowned ‘ok-power’ seal.
On a per year basis, the initial ten shopping centers will procure a total of around 41 million kWh of the certified green electricity for 2008. This represents over 75% of the electricity requirements in our German shopping centers. According to conservative calculations, this should mean a yearly reduction of around 10,000 metric tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions - this equates to the annual CO2 emissions of 450 two-person households.
All other shopping centers in our portfolio are currently contractually bound to local electricity providers. In the years to come, these centers - and the shopping centers abroad - will be switched to green energy.
| Consumption in kWh (in million) |
CO2 reduction in metric tonnes |
|
|---|---|---|
| Allee-Center Hamm | 3.6 | 1,277 |
| City-Arkaden Wuppertal | 5.3 | 1,515 |
| City-Galerie Wolfsburg | 2.9 | 800 |
| City-Point Kassel | 4.2 | 701 |
| Forum Wetzlar | 5.0 | 697 |
| Phoenix-Center Harburg | 6.3 | 875 |
| Rathaus-Center Dessau | 2.9 | 1,013 |
| Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum Viernheim | 5.7 | 1,203 |
| Stadt-Galerie Hameln | 3.3 | 1,387 |
| Stadt-Galerie Passau | 2.0 | 480 |
| Total | 41.2 | 9,948 |
| * = estimated, opening 2008 | ||
In the past we have reduced the energy consumption of our shopping centers by using heat exchangers and energysaving light bulbs. Since 2007, Deutsche EuroShop has been participating in the climate protection and energy efficiency initiative ‘cool down’ introduced by ECE and Philips. To increase energy efficiency, experts are currently working on the potential for optimising the energy consumption in our shopping centers.