Levi Strauss building 'greenest logistics center in Germany', implementing cutting-edge fulfillment technologies
With the innovative logistics location in Dorsten, Levi Strauss is laying the foundation today to put these megatrends into practice.
The facility is intended to make Dorsten the central goods hub for the company's activities in Europe.
The innovative distribution center in Dorsten will be built and operated according to the principles of recycling, resource conservation and zero waste.
The facility has a geothermal heating and cooling system and green walls and roofs.
Levi Strauss has recognized the forward-looking trends in sustainability and digitization as an elementary component of modern business.
RENDERING OF LEVI STRAUSS & CO. DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Building on a former mining area obviously had a special charm for Levi Strauss. Where else could the "greenest logistics center in Germany" be built better than on an old brownfield site? More contrast, more structural change, more innovation is hardly possible.
Levi Strauss & Co. just broke ground on a new distribution center in Germany designed with state-of-the-art features inspired by Cradle to Cradle principles. It marks the company’s sixth distribution center in Europe and the first worldwide to have both LEED and WELL Health-Safety certifications.
It is to become the "greenest warehouse in Germany": Together with Dutch real estate project developer Delta Development Group, denim company Levi Strauss & Co. is planning the "Positive Footprint Warehouse" logistics property, which Delta says will be the first logistics space in Germany to meet the Cradle-to-Cradle sustainability standard.
Previously a mining field, the 750,000-square-foot space (approximately 70,000 m² in size) located at the revitalized mining site in Dorsten will manage Levi Strauss as its European distribution of apparel, accessories and footwear across wholesale, retail, digital, e-commerce and marketplace channels.
Construction of the LS&Co.’s German facility will begin this year in partnership with Delta Development Group and the city of Dorsten. Though operations were originally slated to begin at the end of 2023, the target has been adjusted to April 2024. When the facility reaches full capacity at 55 million units, the company expects it will employ up to 650 workers. The lease term is for 20 years.
“This state-of-the-art distribution center is a critical next step to optimize growth in Europe and continue to push the envelope for sustainable operations, “We are excited to partner with the city of Dorsten to create a centralized hub for our growth aspirations while investing in the future of the community.”
The company announced plans to open the distribution center in its first-ever standalone sustainability report published in September. The announcement called attention to its distribution center in Henderson, Nev., the largest of its kind to receive the Platinum LEED designation at the time of its certification. For its Dorsten location, LS&Co. is expanding beyond what’s included in Henderson, and will use sustainably sourced concrete, vegetated walls, rooftop solar panels and a green roof to reduce its carbon footprint. Employees at the distribution center will have access to electric vehicle chargers, an on-site park and advanced recycling facilities
The gigantic hall covers seven and a half hectares.
Its central positioning in Germany enables it to fulfill demand in Europe, which the company said was experiencing an uptick in growth.
Germany is also a valuable location for European fashion retail chain C&A, which just recently dropped the first denim collection manufactured in its new jeans production facility in Mönchengladbach. Named Forever Denim, the “Made in Europe” collection features three jeans styles apiece for men and for women made with local organic cotton, Tencel and renewable energy.
The construction, which is being planned together with the architectural firm Quadrant4, is to focus on the Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) principle. This involves circular construction based on the principles of recycling, resource conservation and waste reduction, with the aim of keeping the ecological footprint as small as possible. The materials used in the construction of a property must therefore be analyzed and planned for their recyclability from production at the manufacturer to use in the building and recycling before they are installed.
Accordingly, Delta wants to design every building material in the Levi's warehouse for recycling and record them in a materials database. Then, at the end of the building's life cycle, a special architectural use will allow for easy separation by material type. In addition, to keep the air quality of the interior spaces at a consistently high level, only low-pollutant materials will be used.
RENDERING OF LEVI STRAUSS & CO. DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Furthermore, the warehouse will be developed on the basis of "Human Centered Design" and the concept will be based on social exchange and inspiration and will be equipped with numerous communal and green areas.
In addition to the outdoor green spaces, the property has a rooftop garden that will be used both to maintain biodiversity and as a collection point and treatment plant for the building's internal water cycle. Through the use of renewable energy sources, the center is expected to meet a majority of its own energy needs. LEED and WELL certifications are intended to further underpin the building's sustainability credentials. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating and certification system used to determine the sustainability performance of buildings, while WELL is considered the first and only certification system specifically focused on the health and well-being of building occupants.
"At Delta, we have been following the C2C model almost exclusively since 2003 and thus consistently focus our projects on the future of the planet. Sustainability, health and economic efficiency always form an inseparable unit," explains Edwin Meijerink, CEO, Delta Development Group Germany.
