Green Transformation

SEGRO plays the green game

By Waldemar Witczak, regional director, SEGRO

Header waldemar witczak dyrektor regionalny segro

The need to care for the environment and to stop unfavourable climate changes have caused an unprecedented breakthrough in social awareness and across many sectors of the economy. In the warehouse space market, the green approach to both the construction and operation of buildings is no longer a fashion but a new standard. This is the case of SEGRO, a leading owner, manager and developer of warehouse space, for whom green building is an integral part of the operating strategy.

Recent years have been a period of extremely dynamic development of the warehouse sector in Poland. Over the past six years, its stock has doubled, currently exceeding 20 million square meters. Warehouse real estate is an increasingly noticeable part of the sustainable construction trend, with a particular emphasis on the protection of the environment and the need to halt adverse global climate change. At the SEGRO group level, a concern for the environment is embedded in the values, which is why the company focuses on, among other things, reducing the carbon footprint of its buildings, using fewer resources, promoting biodiversity and developing green space around the developments.

Responsibility in the first place

The company has recently launched a new Responsible SEGRO programme which sets out three priorities, namely low carbon, investing in local communities and developing talent, and identifies the actions that will be required to deliver them. To this end, the company focuses on aspects such as reducing energy consumption, improving materials used and minimising the exploitation of natural resources. Moreover, each new building constructed by the developer in Poland undergoes rigorous BREEAM certification.
We recognise that our planet is facing a climate emergency and that we need to play our part in helping to combat the challenge of climate change and the depletion of natural resources. At SEGRO, we continuously monitor and – where appropriate – adopt new approaches, technologies and techniques to reduce the environmental footprint of our existing properties and our new developments.

Welcoming innovations and environmental protection

This year, SEGRO in Poland has entered into a partnership with a supplier of renewable energy. All of the energy purchased by SEGRO in Poland is currently covered by the so-called guarantee of origin, or a ‘green certificate’ and 100% is generated from wind and solar sources. All the energy supplied to the company is also certified as green. Apart from the transition to green energy, the ultimate goal for the whole SEGRO group, resulting also from the ‘Responsible SEGRO’ programme, is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

On the real estate market there has been noticeable progress in the approach to the subject of technology and the need for changes and willingness to implement innovations. This is also the direction in which SEGRO is heading. For years the company has been implementing innovative technological solutions in its logistic parks across Poland. For this reason, SEGRO has decided to support digital transformation even more actively by joining, as a founding member, the Proptech Foundation, an organisation that brings together the largest real-estate companies that are involved in the digitalisation of commercial real estate.

Bee-friendly SEGRO

In order to protect biodiversity, a few years ago SEGRO decided to include beekeeping in its corporate social responsibility activities, and thus became the first warehouse developer in Poland to set up beehives in its logistic parks. The beehives are currently located in SEGRO Logistics Park Warsaw (Pruszków), SEGRO Logistics Park Poznań (Gądki), SEGRO Logistics Park Gliwice and SEGRO Industrial Park Tychy; together they are inhabited by over half a million bees. The choice of these locations was influenced by the convenient location of the parks; the beehives were placed relatively close to the crops, as bees pollinate as much as three quarters of the main crops. The insects inhabiting the apiaries in the parks can produce about 200kg of honey per year. The bee initiative was honoured twice as Good Practice in the Responsible Business Forum's annual Responsible Business in Poland report in 2019 and 2020.

Green charging

Electric and hybrid vehicles are considered to be the future of the motor industry, also in the area of logistics and distribution. Taking into account both the growing trend and the environment, SEGRO has equipped all its logistics parks across Poland with chargers for electric and hybrid cars. In total, 30 electric chargers have been installed in 17 SEGRO logistic parks. The vast majority of the installed chargers can simultaneously charge two vehicles with 22 kW each. The stations are activated by providing users with proximity cards that enable them to start charging the connected vehicle. Additionally, they are equipped with modules for remote settlement of the consumed energy and monitoring the charging status of cars that are currently connected to the charger by means of an appropriate application, which will be launched soon. And as in the case of SEGRO’s beehives and hotels for insects, its charging stations for electric vehicles have been awarded as Good Practices 2020 by the Responsible Business Forum.

Conscious construction rewarded with certification

BREAAM certification, which is awarded to warehouse buildings on an international scale, is a confirmation of the application of environmentally-friendly solutions and a great asset in the offer of developers. In SEGRO's case, all new buildings in Poland undergo this certification and are evaluated in terms of the natural environment, social environment and economy of their operation. So far, a 24,000m2 warehouse for Tamda Foods at SEGRO Logistics Park Prague in Hostivice, Czechia, has received the highest BREEAM Excellent rating in our Central European portfolio. In 2020 alone, SEGRO put under BREEAM certification almost 90,000m2 of new warehouse space in Poland.

ABOUT SEGRO:
SEGRO, a company with the status of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouse and production space. The company owns or manages a property portfolio covering 8.8 million square metres worth £ 15.3 billion, and provides its services to clients from various industry sectors. The company's real estate is concentrated in key agglomerations and transport hubs in nine European countries, mainly in Great Britain, France, Germany and Poland.

For 100 years, SEGRO has been creating space that enables extraordinary things to happen.

The company develops both modern ‘big box’ warehouses, used mainly by regional, national and international distribution centres, and urban warehouses, located close to major agglomerations and business centres. SEGRO provides top quality facilities, where its customers can effectively develop their businesses.

The company started its activity in Central Europe at the end of 2005. SEGRO is currently investing in strategic locations such as Gliwice, Lodz, Poznan, Prague, Strykow, Tychy, Warsaw and Wroclaw.

Contact for media:

Agnieszka Zaczyńska
Marketing & Communications Manager
SEGRO
+48 22 338 66 14
agnieszka.zaczynska@SEGRO.com

Izabela Świątkowska
Senior PR Consultant
Clue PR
+48 519 383 903
izabela.swiatkowska@cluepr.pl

Back to home page

Green will be the new normal. A view of the new world - one that may be brave too?

By Dr Allan Lawrence, a director of Projects Beyond Borders has a doctorate in Environmental Botany awarded by the University of Greenwich and is a lecturer in social policy and business-related programmes

BPCC member, Projects Beyond Borders Ltd (PBB) is a micro-business based in the North of England that has been a member of BPCC for four years and like most fellow members is wondering about how to adjust to life after Covid-19, when that will be, or even whether the word ‘after’ even applies.

Role of courts in addressing the climate crisis

By Maja Frontczak, attorney, and Łukasz Ostas, trainee attorney, Gessel Attorneys at Law

COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow will be held for the 26th time. This, in itself, indicates that climate change is perceived among the international community as a threat to be treated seriously and monitored every year. Although the Paris Agreement (2015) is often regarded as a breakthrough in the fight for climate preservation, many take the view that enactment of the document has not been followed by sufficient action by the signatory states to limit global temperature increase to not more than 2ºC (or, optimally, 1.5 ºC).

Polish RES Tax Issues

By Dariusz Stolarek, partner, Tax Advisory Group, Dentons

The Polish renewable energy market, in particular that based on wind and solar power, has recently enjoyed a boom. This is the result of global trends, EU regulatory requirements and the government's decision to support green energy, after, to put it mildly, its initial conservative approach to renewable energy sources.

Sharing best British practice in renewable energy

By Michal Sobczyk, senior trade advisor at Scottish International Development, with Angelika Gronowska, senior political advisor, and Janusz Bil, director, Energy and Mining, British Embassy Warsaw