Over the last decade, the logistics sector in the country has witnessed a rapid rise in demand for freight-forwarding, warehousing and supply chain infrastructure. While the upsurge in demand for logistics and warehousing certainly augurs well for the country, it is imperative for these developments to adopt green principles to optimise the use of resources and aid growth in a sustainable manner. Implementation of green concepts and techniques in the logistics sector can help in addressing environmental and socio-economic issues in a broad sense.
CII – Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has developed a new and exclusive ‘IGBC Green Logistics Parks and Warehouses Rating System (Pilot Version)’, the first of its kind, to address all the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental and economical. The unique rating system was designed keeping in mind national priorities, and is congruent with Indian and international guidelines, codes and standards. The rating system is developed as per the requirements of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and addresses 14 of the 17 SDGs directly or indirectly.It directs the built environment towards innovative and crucial green concepts such as park planning & design, park facilities & operation, transport efficiency, energy efficiency, water conservation, resource management, health & well-being, and innovation in design & operation.
The IGBC Green Logistics Parks and Warehouses rating system was formulated after detailed deliberations with leading organizations of the logistics parks and warehouses sector and it is designed to improve the sustainability quotient of a wide range of storage facilities.
The new IGBC Green Logistics Parks and Warehouses rating system can yield immense long-term benefits for both existing and new projects. Tangible benefits include energy savings of 20-30%; potable water savings of around 30-40%; reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; optimisation of lead time and enhancement of storage space utilisation. Intangible benefits include conservation of scarce national resources, better health & well-being of occupants, and higher productivity of workforce.
The projects applying for precertification and certification are evaluated based on the green measures incorporated as part of the design, construction and operations, and later awarded with one of the following rating levels: IGBC – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, the latter being the highest rating.
As on date, 19 pilot projects are registered with IGBC Green Logistics Parks and Warehouses rating system, with the total green footprint of over 19.7 million sq ft. Organizations such as Amazon, Flipkart, DHL, Reliance Retail, Decathlon, IndoSpace, ESR, LOGOS India, DP World, Ascendas Firstspace and Welspun One have adopted the rating system for their logistics parks, warehouses and other storage facilities.
The rating system also covers social aspects, such as basic facilities for occupants, drivers and construction workforce, park security, service vehicle parking, and green measures beyond the fence for nearby communities.