Green dream for The Trafford Centre

THE Trafford Centre’s bid to become the greenest shopping destination in the UK was given a boost this week, with the award of an industry “Oscar” for its environmental work.

The Manchester landmark beat off stiff competition from other major British shopping centres to win the SCEPTRE award for Environmental Best Practice at a glittering ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel, hosted by TV legend Nicholas Parsons. The award recognises best practice in sustainability demonstrated by a shopping centre, or portfolio of shopping centres. The category was judged by a panel of leading retail industry experts. Gordon McKinnon, director of operations at The Trafford Centre, said: “The whole team is delighted to have won such a prestigious award that recognises the enormous efforts we are making to make the Trafford Centre a greener place to shop. “The judges commented that the decision to award it to The Trafford Centre was practically unanimous - despite us being up against some very strong competition in the shortlist, including Bluewater, The Centre MK in Milton Keynes, and Cribbs Causeway in Bristol. Water borehole “The judges were particularly impressed by the wide range of environmental initiatives that The Trafford Centre has implemented over the last couple of years, in particular a number of key elements such as our new on-site borehole water supply, our efforts at diverting 70% of our waste from landfill by significantly increasing the amount of waste we recycle. “A huge reduction in electricity consumption, and our work at improving public transport routes and the subsequent removal of cars from the road also gave the judges food for thought. “I am particularly proud of our green community work with schools, and the way in which we have pulled everyone together to address these issues through our internal Green Scheme environmental forum. Our ethos is that if everyone does a little bit, by the end of the day we will all have achieved a lot. “I’d like to pay tribute to all the staff and retailers who have joined forces to make this green revolution a reality. We recognise that all companies, including our own, have a responsibility to minimise their impact on the environment, and this award shows we are headed in the right direction.” Last year, the Trafford Centre celebrated after Gordon McKinnon won the SCEPTRE Award for Best Shopping Centre Manager. And more recently, the 200-store centre romped home with two industry awards for its efforts to bring coach travellers to Manchester. CAPTION: From left, Simon Dymoke, managing director of Futur; Gordon McKinnon, The Trafford Centre director of operations, and event host Nicholas Parsons. NOTES: Recent green initiatives at The Trafford Centre include: • The formation of a Green Scheme to improve the Centre’s environmental performance • The opening of a water borehole to supply 100% of the Centre’s water needs • Recycling up by 70%, with a tripling of recycling streams • An outdoor classroom in the protected wildlife area of Wilderspool Woods • School competition to design a Bug Hotel for Wilderspool Woods • Investment in Environmental Awareness training for staff For more details on this story, please contact the press office on jwebb@traffordcentre.co.uk

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