Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa (PMMAF) is the first company in the UAE electronics industry to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development (MECSD). According to USGBC (United States Green Building Council) – the governing body for LEED, a total of 6 companies in UAE have been LEED certified under the existing building category.
PMMAF’s regional headquarters building in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) scored a total of 45 points out of 110 available under ‘LEED for Existing Building Operations & Maintenance’ category to obtain the prestigious certificate.
The certificate is awarded to operators of existing buildings who implement sustainable practices and reduce the environmental impacts of their buildings, while addressing the major aspects of ongoing building operations that include exterior building site maintenance programs, water and energy use, environmentally preferred products and practices for cleaning and alterations, sustainable purchasing policies, waste stream management and ongoing indoor environmental quality.
Some of the highlights that earned Panasonic the certification include a 36.28% in water use reduction, 69.63% on purchase of sustainable consumables, 77.0 % on energy performance through intelligent design & energy consumption and 87.85 % in solid waste management of consumables and 100% on waste management of durable goods.
According to Shinichi Wakita, Managing Director, Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa, “This is a milestone achievement for us and we are extremely happy that it is in line with our support of the UAE leadership’s vision of a more sustainable future for the country in the coming years. Being LEED Certified is the embodiment of our commitment as an electronics company to promoting the concept of sustainability. We will continue to seek ways to improve the sustainability of our building. As a company, we believe in implementing sustainable environmental practices, enhancing operational efficiency, and embracing social responsibility; and certifications like LEED are a step in the right direction.”
“Attaining LEED Certification for existing buildings is always a challenge and we would really like to congratulate the management of PMMAF for their concerted efforts towards implying policies and procedures effectively towards fulfilling the LEED criteria,” said Thom Bohlen, Chief Technical Officer, MECSD.
As part of the LEED initiatives, 50% of parking spaces at PMMAF building is covered using materials with Solar Reflective Index (SRI) value of 81 and 100% of the roofing materials installed meet the SRI requirement. The building uses special pipe fixtures that has helped 36.28 % reduction in water usage and 57.84 % reduction of potable water for landscaping.
The building is designed, constructed and operated utilizing high efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment and has an Energy Star performance rating of 77 %. The energy efficient LED lighting in the building reduces the lighting load with a savings in electricity consumption of 73,970 kWh/year; Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) and occupancy sensors are installed for further energy saving- all helping in reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions to 468 MtCO2/year.
To improve indoor environmental air quality Panasonic implemented a ‘No Smoking Policy’ inside the building to provide healthy indoor environment to all the occupants. Panasonic also implemented Green Cleaning Program using sustainable cleaning. The company developed a management programme to manage major sources of pollution in buildings.
The company not only promotes sustainability through its products, but has also implemented eco awareness activities on ground level to educate children about the importance of conserving energy and environment.
Through its adherence to ecologically friendly initiatives like LEED certification, Panasonic endeavors to create “A Better Life, A Better World” for generations to come.
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