Lidl achieves green certificate with help of concrete flooring

Many companies have a target that at least 60% of the building they use must have a green certificate, and the demand for green building is expected to rise. An example of what businesses can achieve comes from discount supermarket Lidl in its Lithuania operation.

The retailer has green building certification for its Lithuanian logistics centre and all of its 35 supermarkets in the Baltic country.

Lidl achieved this by using materials that have a low environmental impact, installing energy-saving light bulbs and insulating its buildings more efficiently. Lidl’s Lithuania team looked at various building materials and their impact on the environment, and decided that concrete was the best low-impact material. In the interests of eco-friendliness, its buildings use precast concrete floor panels and finished concrete flooring.

Concrete flooring was chosen by Lidl because it is a material that does not deplete the Earth’s resources. Concrete is strong and durable, with thermal properties that help conserve energy.

More builders of commercial property, as well as house builders, are considering conservation and sustainability issues. Although green buildings can cost more to construct, when the cost of the energy that they save is factored in, they tend to work out cost effective in the long run. Insurance costs can be less for concrete, buildings as concrete walls and flooring are resistant to disasters such as fire and high winds, all of which means green buildings constructed with concrete are likely to increase in value.