Leading grade A Warehousing property developer, Africa Logistics Properties, has announced plans to attain net zero status within the next 9 years according to the company’s Development Director, Maruza Chikwanha.
Maruza made the remarks while hosting a delegation from the Kenya Green Building Society for a tour around ALP North, the first industrial development in Africa to receive IFC Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) certification for initiatives that reduce ALP’s warehouses resource usage by up to 40 percent.
“We are really excited to host the Kenya Green Building Society. We have set plans in motion to be the first signatory in Kenya to sign up to the World Green Building Council’s net zero building commitment initiative. We are looking at our entire portfolio, and all new developments that we undertake from now on and our target is to get to net zero within the next nine years,” said Chikwanha.
He further noted that the savings made on utilities are significant enough to offset the additional capital outlay required to develop sustainable industrial properties.
ALP North exceeds the 20 percent target set within the IFC EDGE certification platform by saving at least 41 percent on energy, 52% on water usage, and 50% on the energy embedded in the building materials.
The EDGE standard requires 20 percent efficiencies in energy, water and materials when compared to a local benchmark.
“Educating the market was one of the first challenges that we had, but we’ve been successful in taking our tenants through the journey and they are now seeing tangible benefits from the sustainability rating,” said Chikwanha.
Louis Kariuki, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Kenya Green Building Society, lauded ALP’s leadership for setting the pace towards sustainability, and called on national and county governments, and private sector to play at part in improving the sustainability of Kenya’s built environment.
“During the design and construction phase, ALP included aspects of sustainability that leverage renewable energy, using natural light to reduce energy usage, and reducing their usage of water. It is everyone’s responsibility to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Initiatives such as green bonds will help developers invest in green projects, while green policies at national and county level will help more people understand the importance of building green,” said Kariuki.
According to the World Green Building Council, buildings are responsible for 38% of global energy-related carbon emission.
President Uhuru Kenyatta recently reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to pursuing green development, told the United Nations that Kenya is on track to achieving a 32% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
