London - United Kingdom, April 26th 2010
For the second consecutive year
Sonae Sierra distinguished at the European Risk Management Awards 2009
- Distinction for the Company's environmental policy
- Sonae Sierra has the ambition of being the best specialist in sustainable shopping centres
- Sonae Sierra was the first company in the shopping centre industry to obtain environmental certification in compliance with the ISO 14001 standard
Sonae Sierra has just been distinguished, for the second consecutive year, at the European Risk Management Awards, an initiative of British magazine Strategic Risk which has the objective of rewarding the best and most innovative action in the area of risk management. This distinction, under the "Best Environmental Risk Control" category, acknowledges Sonae Sierra's commitment to be the best specialist in sustainable shopping centres.
This distinction is the result of a rigorous selection process undertaken by the jury panel of Strategic Risk, comprised of 20 of the finest international professionals and scholars in this area. We also highlight that Sonae Sierra had already been distinguished in 2009 in the "Best Risk Training Programme" category, which acknowledged the development of a Safety & Health culture across the entire company and its shopping centres, namely through the PERSONÆ Project.
For Fernando Guedes de Oliveira, Sonae Sierra's CEO, "this distinction is once again proof of Sierra's innovation and leadership in the environmental area, with the development of 'environmentally friendly' shopping centres and the implementation of more efficient measures in the use of energy, water and the management of waste which lead to an increased efficiency of environmental and financial resources."
In 2009, due the saving measures implemented in terms of environmental resources, together with Sonae Sierra's commitment to a sustainable economic development, it was possible to reduce the environmental impacts of our activity:
- We reduced both our GHG emissions per m2 of GLA and the energy consumption per m2 of the landlord-controlled area of our shopping centres by 6% and 5%, respectively, in comparison with the 2008 results.
- We reused 4.7% of global water consumed through water reuse systems installed at various shopping centres.
- We achieved a global recycling rate of 46% across our shopping centres in operation and reduced the proportion of waste sent to landfill by 12.5% in comparison with 2008,
This distinction acknowledges Sonae Sierra's environmental pioneerism and innovation, as a result of an integrated and progressive approach to the management of environmental risks, which represents a positive contribution in terms of differentiation, increased customer satisfaction and trust, cost reduction and minimization of the environmental impact of this activity.
Sierra's environmental management distinguished with other awards
In 2009, Sonae Sierra was distinguished at the Sustainable Energy Europe Awards (SEE), an initiative of the European Commission, under the "Market Transformation" category, for its innovation in the energetic sustainability area, through the implementation of the "Green Centre" concept in the development and management of its centres.
In the same year, Sonae Sierra took first place in the "Ranking Responsabilidade Climática nas Empresas: índice ACGE sectorial 2009" a ranking that distinguishes the companies with the best performance in terms of energetic efficiency in Portugal. This was the 4th time the Company led the ranking in a total of five editions.
About Sonae Sierra
Sonae Sierra, www.sonaesierra.com, is the international shopping centre specialist, with a passion for bringing innovation and excitement to the shopping centre industry. The Company owns 52 Shopping Centres in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil, with a total Gross Lettable Area (GLA) of more than 2 million m². Sonae Sierra has 2 projects under construction and 9 new projects in different phases of development in Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil. In 2009, its centres welcomed more than 436 million visits.