The green shoots of retail

Sometimes one might think it easy for an EU official to issue directives. For example, according to EU directive 2010/31/EU, by the year 2020 all new buildings will have to prove that they are close to being zero-energy buildings, while by 2050 carbon emissions from all buildings need to be as near to zero as possible. This appears a rather ambitious target, and especially so for the retail market, which continues to lag behind the office market in terms of the absolute number of green certificates issued (around 30). But this fact does not seem to signify any lack of enthusiasm on the part of developers or asset managers to apply for such ecological certification (mainly BREEAM In-Use). "It is company policy," says Cezary Kopij, a project manager for Neinver Polska, explaining why Neinver applied for BREEAM certification for the Factory Warszawa Annopol outlet centre, which has just opened in Warsaw. "And we are doing the same in Italy, France and Portugal. We expect our buildings wil