Mall retailers opt for eco-friendly solution

Retailers are adopting eco-friendly measures in their mall fit-outs across Dubai to reduce the impact of doing business on the environment, says a major retailing firm. Nicholas Mulders, director of the Retail Design and Deliver of Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said it is doing its part to encourage retailers to do everything in their power to meet sustainable environmental solutions across the board. In a presentation to the Emirates Green Building Council on Sunday at the Pullman Hotel, Mulders said interest by retailing firms is high in the Green Star system that rates design and construction projects according to the level of their green properties. Mulders said, "We're starting to develop a database of sustainable suppliers for Dubai in and out of Europe." What Majid Al Futtaim Properties has learned, it has tried to disseminate through the industry to help spread the green message, he said. "I am trying to share the experience, the knowledge and the understanding they can be involved," he said. He described the Green Star programme as one in which retailers "have fit outs that will have a minimal impact on the environment". To get there, retailers must meet a short list of rating categories ranging from water and energy to materials and operations. In each category, the more energy-efficient accessories and equipment that are implemented, the higher the Green Star rating of the retailer, he said. A wide variety of items can be used when establishing a new mall retail outlet to achieve sustainability ranging from low-flow faucets and energy-efficient light bulbs to low-volatile paint and self-closing electrical equipment. Distinct approach The Emirates Green Building Council acknowledged Majid Al Futtaim Properties' work to make malls greener. In a statement, Adnan Sharafi, Emirates GBC chairman, said that the "retail sector is one of the largest energy consumers in the Emirates. Through our networking event, Majid Al Futtaim Properties' distinct approach to sustainability can be used as a tool to help better understand the environmental effects that the business operations cause". Speaking of this week's GBC forum to discuss Green Star, he said: "We are keen to create a dialogue among the retail sector to strengthen awareness of the key."