Sustainability concepts in supermarkets
More and more supermarket chains in Germany are tackling measures to reduce their CO2 emissions. In addition to various projects for environmentally friendly and plastic-free packaging materials or regional production, energy balance and environmentally friendly construction are now also becoming the focus of corporate attention.
The Netto supermarket chain, for example, has announced that it will be making investments of 100 million euros in the company's sustainability by relying more on renewable energies. Within the next three years, gas heating systems in its nearly 300 stores in Germany will be replaced with heat pumps, according to the group. The roofs of 100 logistics centers and stores are to be fitted with photovoltaic modules by 2028. Climate-neutral cooling systems are also to be purchased by 2026. The measures are in line with the climate targets of the group, which is part of the Danish Salling Group.
In mid-March 2022, Lidl received the "DGNB Certificate" in platinum for a store in sustainable timber construction in Albstadt-Ebbingen. The German Sustainable Building Council DGNB awards this prize annually for particularly sustainable properties. Among other things, the innovative Lidl store is characterized by a deconstructable timber construction without composite materials, a recyclable element facade with recycled content, and an energy-saving heat recovery technology. The store already opened on December 9, 2021, after only 6 months of construction. The project aims to reduce CO2 emissions and is designed for recyclability of the individual building materials.
Sources
pv-magazine, article by Sandra Enkhardt (3/18/2022):
https://www.pv-magazine.de/2022/03/18/netto-will-100-millionen-euro-in-waermepumpen-und-photovoltaik-investieren/, accessed: 3/19/2022 at 6 p.m.
Official Website Lidl.de:
https://unternehmen.lidl.de/verantwortung/csr-news/2022/220318_lidl-albstadt-dgnb, accessed: 3/19/2022 at 7 p.m.
https://unternehmen.lidl.de/pressreleases/2021/211209_filiale-holzbauweise, accessed: 3/19/2022 at 7:30 p.m.