M&S wants to be the world's most sustainable major retailer by 2015.
It is building what it calls Sustainable Learning stores, to further its understanding of techniques and process that can move it towards its ultimate goal.
The first Sustainable Learning store is due to open next month in Ecclesall Road, Sheffield. The new 12,400 sq ft Simply Food store, built on a former brownfield site, incorporates several sustainable design and construction features. The store is set to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent, and has received a Considerate Constructors Scheme score of 37.5 out of 40.
M&S says that 100% of the construction waste produced in the building of the store has been recycled. The project is undergoing full FSC certification and M&S expects 100% of the timber used in the building will be FSC certified, a first for the company. All the bricks have been reclaimed from an old mill. Polished concrete floors remove the need for additional floor covering.
For sustainable operation, harvested rainwater will supply all the toilets and irrigate the store's green ‘living wall', reducing water costs by up to 40% compared with a conventional similarly sized store. The store will also be heated by expelled heat from its refrigeration units, helping to reduce its carbon output by 23%. LED lighting will be used throughout the store, a first in the UK, and sun pipes will bring natural lighting onto the shop floor.
For the promotion of wildlife, a sedum roof and green ‘living wall' will create habitats as well as insulate the building and act as a pollution filter. There will be bird boxes around the perimeter wall of the site and 62 types of plant are being planted on or around the store.
Trolley and cycle shelters, in the car park, will also be made from FSC certified wood and have a green sedum roof.
To promote sustainable transport, electric car charging points will be available in the car park. LED screens in the store will give customers real time local transport information.
M&S director of property & store development Clem Constantine said: “This store represents a big milestone in our sustainable construction programme as we are installing a host of unique technologies and features. Each of these sustainable features is remarkable in its own right, however by bringing them all together in one development, something that is rarely done by retailers, we will achieve a whole that is worth far more than the sum of its parts. The learnings we have taken from building the store, coupled with those we will make over its lifetime, will help us achieve our goal of becoming the world's most sustainable major retailer by 2015.”
Paul King, CEO of the UK Green Building Council said: “Sustainability is increasingly important in the construction and property sector and major companies like M&S have a crucial role in driving that process, particularly given the relationship not just with suppliers, but also with consumers. This new M&S store at Ecclesall Road is an impressive achievement, not only for its host of environmental features and the positive social effect it will have on the local community, but also the lessons that will be learnt for both M&S and the wider construction industry.”
M&S announced in 2010 a commitment to opening two ‘Sustainable Learning Stores' a year as part of its goal to become the world's most sustainable major retailer by 2015 through its sustainability programme Plan A.
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