Asking its exhibitors for the main topic at the upcoming EuroCIS exhibition in March in Dusseldorf /Germany the answers are: green IT! Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility are the drivers for the development and implementation of energy-saving products. While the backstage uptil now was seen at retail/wholesale mainly as a question of investment-decision, now the choice is influenced also by the marketing – departments at the retailers which want to use “Green IT” as a part of their communication strategy with the consumer. “Green IT” seems to be a win within the competition.
 

The German CSR-Forum has its 6th Annual Forum on April 13/14th 2010 in Stuttgart. It will be embedded into the “German week for Sustainability” lasting from April 11th to 18th 2010. The topic of the forum will be “Sustainable Company-Leadership from Rio to Delhi”.

The forum will have 14 sections with a broad spectrum of topics ranging from "intercultural competence" to ”picking cotton in India”. For the first time a “German CSR-Prize” will be awarded by votes of journalists. Last but not least job-offers/job-demands are matched and traineeships offered. (More about the program here)
 

In October 2009 the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) awarded pre-certification in gold to the "REWE Green Building - Concept Future". That store is one of the first sustainable and CO2-neutral retail trade buildings in Germany to receive the "German Seal of Approval for Sustainable Building" in gold. The seal has been developed by the DGNB and the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development. Thanks to the ground-breaking use of state-of-the-art heating, ventilation, lighting, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, combined with the best possible insulation, the Green Building's energy consumption has been cut by almost 50 percent compared to a standard building. In the normal refrigeration and the combined refrigeration and deepfreeze systems, which cool fresh products and deepfreeze assortments, natural refrigerant is exclusively used. The REWE store in Berlin produces around 40 per cent of its own energy requirements. The photovoltaic system measuring almost 2,000 square metres combines a large roof-top unit made of special cylindrical modules - which collect the sunshine on a 360-degree surface and are hence particularly energy efficient - with a photovoltaic unit integrated into the glass of the projecting part of the roof. This not only provides stylish design features but also at the same time provides natural shading for the large window surfaces. Twelve bore holes in the ground, each reaching depths of almost 100 metres, were required to create a geothermal energy plant, which makes the use of fossil fuels superfluous throughout the whole year. The REWE Green Building incorporates the principle of daylight architecture, which has up to now scarcely been used in the German retail industry: this is implemented through a 280 metre long window façade running around the full length of the building and 18 cupolas providing light through the roof. This daylight architecture is combined with optimum insulation (cellulose) and sustainable materials, such as wood. ( More information; More information/German;)
 

For the second time EHI Retail Institute honoured retailers for their engagement for the environment and energy saving-measures. The main award was handed over to the German regional supermarket-chain tegut… Gutberlet Stiftung & Co Co in Fulda. This company is pioneer for years in the cooperation with farms engaged in organics; tegut is pushing those products in its assortment-policy. For energy-management they formed an own company which is analyzing energy-efficiency all along the total supply chain.

15.10.2009 Students push Sustainability

Prof. B. Hallier discussed the systematic of an Environmental Retail Management with students of the Alanus-University/Germany . Their seminar is dealing with sustainable distribution.

Students are not only listening but actively supporting this topic. Above the horizon of their own university some of them are actively involved in the internet via www.i-ev.de (student club for sustainability), www.studierenfuermorgen.de (study for tomorrow), www.tagderideen.de (day of ideas). On their own campus they are organizing their second dialogue with industry; the slogan of those dialogues is W.in.d (Wirtschaft neu denken: translated: rethinking/re-inventing business/More)