A sustainable centre

centre:mk is a listed building with a need to retain historical features, however our ambition remains to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2035. This means;

• Decarbonising through the use of green energy and minimising the release of embodied carbon
• Improving energy efficiency
• Engaging with tenants, occupiers and suppliers to successfully manage carbon emissions and reductions across all areas
• Using carbon offset methodologies for any residual carbon that is generated
• Increasing investment into renewable energy, such as solar panel installation on our roof
• Reducing our carbon footprint by working with local partners
• Implementing reduce, reuse and recycle across all waste streams

CARBON NEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT

centre:mk is famous for having everything under one roof, so the 100,000 m2 roof is a good place to start.

• Since 2015, we have created the first carbon neutralising shopping centre roof in the uk
• Our roof covers the equivalent of 17 football fields 
• Every 1m2 of roof can convert 1.75kg of CO2 per year saving the  equivalent to almost 440,000 miles worth of greenhouse gas emissions from your average family car

THE SCIENCY BIT

• Rainfall and CO2 reacts with the surface of the Olivine (the particles on our centre roof) which turn the CO2 into a
• combination of water, sand and magnesium carbonate, all of which are 100% neutral in their effect on the environment
• So far this year we have converted enough carbon to power enough kettles to make 2 million cups of tea!

REDUCING THE NATURAL RESOURCES WE USE

Reducing the electricity and gas used at centre:mk is an ongoing project.

From getting back to basics – switch off lighting when not required, to switching to energy saving LED illumination, we can save money and be better for the planet.

Switching off the lights 3 hours earlier and replacing 600 bulbs with LEDs has saved enough energy to charge 11.7m mobile phones without any additional CO2 emissions

The greenhouse gas emissions that we save is equivalent to 110 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, or:

-87.7 cars driven for a year

-1,013,656 miles driven by an average car

PLANTING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The planters throughout the centre not only provide a lush, pleasant space for everyone to enjoy, they also help to absorb CO2 too.

Over 200 new plants and 20 new trees were planted  in March 2021

We have 860m2 of planting throughout the centre and 1200m2 within our external areas

Did you know internal plants reduce fatigue, sore throats, colds and coughs by as much as 30%

Behind the scenes we are at home with nature too. Our rooftop wild garden is a natural habitat with bee boxes, flowers and vegetation to  provide a home for insects, bees and birds to thrive.

CLEAN TRANSPORTATION

Our commitment to cleaner transport has transformed our own fleet of vehicles as well as supporting healthier approaches to workplace travel.

All patrol, waste and cleaning vehicles have been swapped out for a fully electric fleet

All centre management teams can make use of the car share  scheme and cycle to work policies

We are home to the Electric Vehicle Centre promoting electric cars and their usage and the grants available to make it easy for you to switch

RECYCLE, REUSE, REWARD

We divert 100% of our waste from landfill and we like to try and be creative with it!

1350 tonnes of waste is recycled instead of landfilled

22% of waste is converted to renewable energy

We recycle 10 tonnes of coffee grounds a month from  our retailers, to use as fertilizer for our landscaping

DID YOU KNOW?

John Lewis & Partners has a beauty product recycling initiative. Simply return 5 empty beauty products and receive £5 off your
next purchase

M&S collect your unwanted old clothes in their “Shwop” boxes

instore to resell through Oxfam. Nothing goes to waste

The Perfume Shop will recycle your empty perfume bottles and give you 10% off your next purchase Superdrug pharmacies recycle empty tablet blister packets to raise donations for charity Marie Curie

PROTECTING THE EARTH’S  LIQUID ASSET

Water is one of the planet’s most precious assets and we harvest as  much rainwater as possible to re-use in the centre.

Each year we capture 2,088,000 litres, enough for 35,000 washing machine cycles.

TECHNOLOGY REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

The centre is continually adapting to new technology to meet the needs of our guests, retailers and staff.

A sophisticated Building Management System, that is capable of being  ‘upscaled’ runs our behind the scenes operations.

This system allows us to control the building and the equipment, as well as preprogramme operational activities to ensure all systems are run only when required.

Renewable energy sources are continually being trialled to drive energy efficiencies.

Our digital infrastructure ensures centre information is as paperless as possible, including ticketless parking through our app.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Where possible we try to:

Try to utilise the existing structure and embodied carbon elements

Refurbish and extend rather than rebuild to attract new brands like Primark and H beauty

Avoid excessive material miles when sourcing materials

Utilise local responsible contractors and suppliers that resource and employ from within the region

Continue to increase insulation to improve levels in line with modern day building regulations