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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Retail sector

Significant progress has been made in DEXUS managed retail sites over the last 12 months. This has been driven by the establishment of a Retail Sustainability Working Group with representation from all areas of the retail team. This group meets on a monthly basis and identifies opportunities to improve sustainability performance in the centre operations and day to day processes.

A number of initiatives have been identified including:

  • A portfolio wide consumables purchasing program with "green products" as the standard
  • Collaborating across centres on waste and recycling management strategies
  • Sustainable tenancy fit-out guidelines

The comparable resource consumption data has demonstrated the achievements made to date (see graphs below). These significant reductions can be attributed to intensive management focus and the progress of three major centre redevelopments, where a number of new sustainability initiatives have been implemented. Consumption trends have also been influenced by developments occurring in three centres, whereby increased sustainability initiatives have been implemented.



Retail Consumption Data



Case Study:
Plumpton Marketplace - Integrated sustainability


Over the last three years, Plumpton Marketplace has implemented a refurbishment and operational initiatives as part of a strategic improvement plan. Plumpton Marketplace is a sub-regional shopping centre situated in a well established, densely populated trading area of over 106,000 people, 8.5 kilometres west of Blacktown and 2 kilometres north east of Mt Druitt in New South Wales.

The centre opened in 1994 and underwent an $8 million refurbishment in 2007. The redevelopment included the upgrade of amenities, the addition of an outdoor covered eating area, upgraded directional signage and the introduction of several national chains. The centre comprises a total GLA of 18,496 square metres anchored by Woolworths and Big W and over 60 specialty stores.


Water initiatives

Significant changes were incorporated as part of the recent refurbishment including:

  • Introduction of time nn controlled tapware to all facilities in the centre
  • Installation of dual flush toilets
  • Native and low water requirement landscaping
  • Ensuring all tenants have responsibility for their water consumption where applicable
The result of these initiatives was a 27% decrease in water consumption in the 2007/08 financial year compared to the previous year. In 2008/09, due to the refurbishment of a new alfresco dining area and longer trading hours, a slight increase in water consumption resulted (overall 3%). Over the next 12 months the focus will be to stabilise and continually decrease water usage for the centre. New initiatives will also target working with tenants to implement more resource efficient operations.


Energy initiatives

Despite the increased activity at the site with inclusion of the expanded food court and alfresco dining area, there was only a slight increase in energy consumption of 3% at the centre in 2007/08. This has been an area of attention for the centre in 2008/09 with a focus on improving the operational efficiency of the site.

Energy consumption has been reduced in 2008/09 by 12% compared with the same period last year and significantly a full 12 months of operation (and therefore the full efficiency gains) has not yet been realised on these initiatives.

These results were achieved through a number of significant sustainability initiatives:

  • The installation of a Building Management System (BMS) in March 2008 to control all centre operated Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), including amenities' exhaust plus all common internal and external lighting
  • The installation of lux sensors for lighting control circuits to optimise the use of natural light
  • Post installation commissioning including primary and regular programming to streamline plant operations with trade areas and operating times
  • Daily monitoring and adjustment of air conditioning servicing in accordance with ambient conditions and demand
  • The installation of air curtains at all primary entry points to retain conditioned air within the centre serviced areas
  • Replacement of common area and office fluorescent lighting with low energy fittings


Other initiatives include:


“I was proud to receive this award for our achievements at Plumpton. Good environmental management also makes good business sense as a reduction in costs is a key element of effective property management.”
Barry Thomson, Operations Manager, Plumpton Marketplace
  • The commencement of a new cleaning contract incorporating the use of environmentally friendly products and practices
  • Tenant engagement to increase recycling of cardboard and paper waste
  • The replacement of all major common mall air conditioning plants with current standard high efficiency units
The results at Plumpton are not least thanks to the passion and commitment of our centre team, led by Barry Thomson, and are not only limited to energy and water. In recognition of Barry’s efforts, he was awarded the inaugural Sustainability and Efficiency Award for the achievements at Plumpton Marketplace at our annual Retail Conference.