The FINANCIAL -- A Nestlé
building has become the first in Latin America to be awarded the world’s
most prestigious standard for certifying sustainable construction and
design.
The company’s new employee centre in Mexico has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ‘Platinum Version Three’ certification from the United States Green Building Council.
Nestlé has invested more than 12 million Mexican Pesos (more than CHF 800,000) in the building, which is located at its Coffee-Mate factory in the state of Chiapas.
It is strategically positioned to counteract solar radiation and was constructed using techniques for conserving solar energy inspired by those used in the nearby ancient Mayan pyramids.
During the day, the building is lit by natural light and solar-powered lamps. At night, energy saving lights with presence sensors provide illumination.
It is equipped with solar heating and water treatment systems, water-saving bathrooms, and a ‘green roof’ covered with vegetation to lower the interior temperature and to filter and recover rainwater.
A natural ventilation system channels cooler air from below the ground to create a steady room temperature.
“It is a great honour for us to receive the highest standard of LEED certification,” said Marcelo Melchior, Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Mexico, at the certification ceremony.
“It underlines our long-term commitment to Mexico and to being the leading company in the country in the area of environmental sustainability.”
Mr Melchior was joined by Juan Sabines Guerrero, Constitutional Governor of the State of Chiapas; Límbano Domínguez Román, Mayor of Chiapa de Corzo, and other guests.
Mexico is not the only place where Nestlé is developing ‘greener’ buildings.
Worldwide, the company’s efforts to construct more environmentally friendly structures for its operations have received similar recognition.
An innovation centre built by Cereal Partners Worldwide, Nestlé’s joint venture with General Mills, was the first building in Switzerland to be awarded platinum LEED certification in October in 2011.
In the same year, Nestlé Waters North America received LEED Gold certification for its headquarters in Connecticut in the United States, making it the company’s tenth LEED-certified building in the country.
The United States Green Building Council is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated.
As Nestlé reported, it developed the LEED certification rating system - the most widely recognised and widely used green building programme worldwide.
The system provides independent verification that a building, home or community has been designed and built to achieve high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
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