FACILITIES

Since 2009 when our first solar installation came on line at our California distribution center, we have been seeking every opportunity to pursue innovative and renewable technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. As we build new facilities, we follow sustainable building practices to decrease our energy and water use, reduce building waste, incorporate sustainable materials, and add renewable energy sources where feasible. 

Here in Europe, we share our EMEA headquarters with other brands from the VF family. Our new European headquarters demonstrates our commitment to sustainability while showcasing several creative building solutions. Built in 2013, it has achieved LEED Gold certification; it was designed to be an innovative example of sustainable building incorporating energy efficient features and made with natural and recycled materials.

EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS FEATURES

RENEWABLE ENERGY

  • 10% of the required energy is generated by photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building. Every year about 135,000 kWh will be generated, resulting in a saving of 60 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 400,000 km travelled by car. 
  • The rest of our energy need is covered by purchasing energy from renewable sources, such as hydroelectric and photovoltaic plants.

EFFICIENT DESIGN

  • Energy saving indoors is guaranteed by the special attention paid to using sunlight and artificial light. The Brise Soleil system prevents glare and overheating inside the building. It blocks the sun’s rays in summer, which saves on air conditioning and, in winter, it allows light to enter into the building, contributing to heating.
  • Efficient air conditioning system that eliminates all refrigerant-based coolants and chemicals - all potent greenhouse gases. Using heat pumps allows us to use air conditioning equipment that is 50% more efficient than an air-cooled system.

INNOVATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS

  • Because of its renewable properties, we chose to use wood as the main material for our new headquarters. 40% of wood used is Forest Stewardship Council certified while the other 60% was sourced of recovered wood.
  • The floors are covered with resistant ceramic tiles from the nearby Emilia Romagna region. As well as being highly durable, they have a low content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), a class of chemical pollutants often arising from the use of solvents and paints.

WATER CONSERVATION

  • We installed special tanks with a total capacity of 50m3 in which rain water is collected and fully utilized for bathrooms and irrigating the grounds.
  • The filtered drinking water is distributed inside the building by means of special stations connected to the municipal network, eliminating the use of plastic bottles and their transport. These stations are also able to heat the water up to 90 degrees for hot drinks, thus completely eliminating the use of electric kettles.

WASTE

  • All of the coffee points and printer areas are equipped for separate waste collection for paper, cardboard, plastic and general waste.
  • All photocopiers are set by default to black and white, front and back.
  • We have a Green team task force that work to advance our work to further develop and drive our work to reduce waste.
 
 
 

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