New certification scheme for climate-neutral buildings is on its way

14.09.2018

The global supermarket chain Lidl is taking yet another important step within sustainable buildings with a new store piloting the new NollCO2 certification. Lidl has engaged COWI to help it to meet the demanding requirements.

Lidl is ready to test a new certification scheme for climate-neutral buildings. The demanding scheme is called NollCO2 and COWI will assist Lidl in meeting the requirements, which are among the toughest in the world.

The scheme, developed by Sweden Green Building Council in collaboration with the construction industry in Sweden, cover both material manufacturers and building contractors, setting limits on emissions from the product phase, the construction phase and the operational phase, which is unique.

The new certification system is currently being tested in a pilot run, and first in line to perform a full scale project is Lidl Sweden. Lidl is a pioneer in sustainability in the industry, and COWI has been helping them BREEAM-certify all of its new stores in Sweden since 2015.

“We have ambitious sustainability goals for the whole business, from raw materials and products to building projects and stores. With NollCO2 we aim to go on reducing our own impact on the climate and contribute to development by requiring our suppliers to reduce their emissions too,” says Thomas Brattlöw, Property Director at Lidl Sweden.

Zero net emissions during building’s lifetime

Lidl intends to use the pilot project in Visby to move towards climate-neutral commercial premises in terms of building materials and processes and the operation of the building and the business. The goal of the new certification scheme is zero net emissions during the lifetime of the building, whereby the debt built up in the life of the building is offset by various environmental measures such as locally produced renewable energy.

As Lidl’s project partner, COWI will be managing and project-leading the work of producing sustainable solutions for the lifecycle of the building which meet the demanding standards of NollCO2. COWI will also be contributing its expertise in BREEAM, as the building is also to be certified ‘Excellent’ under BREEAM SE 2017.

“We are incredibly pleased to be able to assist Lidl once more in its efforts to lead the way in sustainability. By getting involved in the development of the world’s toughest certification scheme, they are showing that they take their goals seriously, and are also showing the way to other companies,” says Torbjörn Nordgren, Vice President Environment at COWI.