Decathlon partners with SGS to accelerate green building certification across stores

Decathlon partners with SGS to accelerate green building certification across stores

(IN BRIEF) Global sports retailer Decathlon has partnered with testing company SGS to adopt the EDGE green building certification standard as part of its real estate sustainability strategy. EDGE, which has built-in baselines for each country worldwide, will help Decathlon benchmark its stores against a national average, identify opportunities for improvement and verify carbon savings. The move will help the company reach its goal of reducing total CO2 emissions from its stores and warehouses by 90% by 2026, compared with 2016 levels, as well as its commitment to achieve 100% renewable electricity at its properties by 2026.

(PRESS RELEASE) GENEVA, 15-Apr-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —Decathlon, a global leading sports retailer, is accelerating the deployment of sustainable solutions for its real estate portfolio by partnering with SGS and adopting the EDGE green building standard as part of its real estate sustainability strategy.

Committed to carbon neutrality

Decathlon signed up to RE100 in 2008 and since then is deploying actions to achieve 100% renewable electricity in its property sites by 2026. Part of this commitment is to reduce total CO2 emissions from stores and warehouses by 90% by 2026, compared to a 2016 baseline. EDGE is another tool to help the company continue on its emissions reductions pathway and contribute to carbon neutrality.

EDGE green building certification

EDGE offers a standardized, global approach to green building certification, while taking into account local differences. With built-in baselines for every country around the world, Decathlon will use EDGE to benchmark its stores against a national average, identify opportunities for improvement, quantify the carbon savings and verify them with an international certification scheme.

The company, which has a presence in 70 countries and employs 108,000 “teammates” worldwide, already achieved green building certifications via many different green labels, including a few EDGE certified buildings in Malaysia, India and the Philippines.

By signing an agreement with SGS and UK-based certifier Sintali, Decathlon will promote the use of EDGE across its stores globally and increase the number of certified green buildings in its portfolio.

Harry Fernau, SGS Global Market Manager, said: “We are happy to provide support by helping to identify efficiency solutions across Decathlon’s real estate portfolio and validate the building efficiencies against the international green building standard, EDGE, with our certification partner Sintali.”

About EDGE

An innovation of IFC, EDGE is an internationally recognized green building standard- and certification scheme that focuses on resource efficiency. EDGE operates through a cloud-based platform that has a sophisticated set of city-based climate and cost data, consumption patterns, and algorithms for predicting the most accurate performance results. To qualify for certification, a building must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in energy, water, and embodied energy in materials compared to a conventional building in that location.

About Sintali

Sintali is an independent company that quantifies and verifies the environmental impact of decisions, and helps organizations map out the road to net zero. With deep expertise in the development of green building standards and corporate sustainability, Sintali brings transparency and rigor to the sustainability realm.

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 97,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

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SOURCE: SGS