LEED Gold certificate for Forbo Flooring Systems warehouse in the Netherlands

Forbo Flooring, Creating Better Environments

One year after it’s official opening and having transferred well in excess of the projected amount of products from Forbo’s portfolio, The Forbo Cross Dock Warehouse today received it’s LEED gold certification, which was handed to Forbo Flooring Vice President Matthias Huenerwadel by Green Building Council President Rick Fedrizzi.

Fredrizzi, President, CEO and founding Chaiman of the Green Building Council and initiator of the LEED certification institution praised Forbo for its commitment to sustainability and the active role the company has played in putting sustainability firmly on the agenda of the building and construction community.

"The new Cross Dock Warehouse at Forbo Flooring Facility epitomizes the kind of leadership from Forbo that I’ve admired for nearly two decades. They were early adopters and supporters of the green building movement, and they understood early on the deep connection between human health, sustainability, and green building. This LEED Gold certified facility showcases their sustainable design ethic and their focus on greening their logistics and operations, and will be a great model for others across Europe to follow."

Matthias Huenerwadel, grateful and honoured by the award confirmed Forbo’s drive to go beyond the rules and regulations that make a sound green corporate policy. Huenerwadel mentioned Forbo’s drive to reduce 25% of its global warming potential between the years 2009 and 2015 measured through LCA methodology. Also the fact that now Forbo is able to present 3rd party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EDP’s) for all its products that also have a Usetox assessed paragraph on human toxicity and health make Forbo a forerunner in the industry.

Some facts on the new Cross Dock Warehouse:

The construction work on the new warehouse started early March, 2013, and the new building was fully operational within only six months! A tight timetable and a great effort by the builders and project team made it possible to construct and commission the new warehouse so quickly. The building has approximately 7,500 positions for pallet storage, a floor space for cross-dock activities, and a mezzanine for welding cord and accessories storage for all collections.

Assendelft (NL), which is the site of Forbo Flooring Systems’ linoleum factory, also acts as the worldwide transport hub. Virtually every day, trucks with products from 3 to 8 different Forbo Flooring sites head off to countries around the world. By consolidating various Forbo Flooring products from other manufacturing sites in this flow, we achieve a significant reduction of transport kilometres. The direct result of this is lower CO2 emissions. A win-win situation for our customers and the environment.

Sustainable building – LEED Gold Certificate

Throughout the building design process, a lot of attention was given to realising the greenest possible warehouse. By applying innovative and environmentally favourable solutions and well thought-out processes, we were able to build a warehouse that really is one-of-a-kind. The warehouse is equipped with automatic dimming lights, LED lighting in the office spaces, a highly efficient heating system and highly water-efficient systems in bathrooms and toilets.

On top of this, the warehouse is equipped with the equivalent of over 100,000 kWh of solar panels on its roof. This means that the warehouse actually generates (and stores) its own energy whenever the sun is shining!

Because of the very sustainable design and construction, Forbo applied for LEED gold certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an environmental certification system supported by the Green Building Council with a world wide appeal. Currently there are only 10 buildings in the Netherlands with either a Gold or Platinum certificate. Forbo Flooring Systems is the first company to receive a LEED Gold Certificate for a warehouse in the Netherlands. The Forbo LEED certified warehouse has also been nominated for LEED project of the year and the company has been nominated for the Leadership Award for Manufacturers.