Leading by example

Achieving a 5-Star Green Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) rating is no easy task. It involves measuring the performance of a building over a 12-month period and comparing this data with relevant benchmarks. “Green Star rating is a comprehensive evaluation system that assesses the environmental performance of buildings across several criteria, including energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor environment quality and resource management,” asserts Jutta Berns, Director and Principal of Ecocentric, and the Accredited Professional for this project. “Achieving this rating is a testament to the exceptional standards upheld by Canal Walk in its ongoing efforts to minimise its environmental impact.”

With this recertification, Canal Walk has proved its sustainable credentials. The next step for the shopping centre would be to reduce single-use plastics and embark on Net Zero Waste certification with GBCSA.

Canal Walk, which encompasses a mall and two office buildings, is co-owned by Hyprop Investments Limited and Ellerine Bros. It first achieved this certification in 2020 and now again in 2024. “Canal Walk continues to lead by example in the transformation of the built environment, reducing its environmental impact and entrenching a culture of sustainability within its organisation,” Berns says.

When Canal Walk’s management team first decided to commit to achieving the 5-Star EBP rating, they set about examining ways in which they could reduce their organic waste. “Organic waste was our first task,” explains Linus Naik, Managing Director of Green Gap Consulting. “This is mainly due to the environmental impact that organic waste has when it enters a landfill and the associated contamination of other recyclables if not separated at source.”

Having heard about shopping centres in Gauteng that had implemented on-site technology to divert organic waste from landfill, Canal Walk undertook an investigation in 2018 to quantify how much organic waste it had and used that to inform the best solution. “A year later, a refurbishment allowed for a redesign of the waste area and presented an opportunity to build the right space to accommodate the bespoke technology,” comments Naik.

What resulted was the installation of an in-vessel composting machine with a processing volume of 40 tons, which turns food waste into pre-compost. “This composter helped us achieve the goal of achieving maximum diversion of organic waste away from landfill,” he says. In addition, tenant staff at Canal Walk have been trained on new operating procedures in the waste area to encourage them to separate waste at source. Tenants have also been provided with dedicated bins for organic waste and received separation at source training.

Waste reduction

Thanks to these efforts, there’s been a huge improvement in waste reduction. “Canal Walk has achieved a diversion rate from landfill by mass from 43% to over 75% after the introduction of food-waste separation at source and the on-site solution,” asserts Naik. “The reduced contamination of other grades also contributed to the diversion rate.”

What he’s particularly pleased about is how, in reducing waste, the shopping centre has automatically complied with the Western Cape provincial by-law that bans organic waste from landfill. “Due to the proactive steps taken by Canal Walk, it was already in compliance with the 2022 target of 50% diversion when it came into effect,” he says. “The centre is also already in compliance with the 100% diversion target for 2027.”

While there were difficulties, these were not insurmountable. The main challenge was redesigning the waste area, as well as the lead times in manufacturing bespoke equipment. “Finding the right solution and getting all the pieces in place to make it work is often a long road,” says Naik, although he is nevertheless satisfied with the outcome and hopes to see more green building certifications for Canal Walk in the future.

Cutting water consumption

A major component of the 5-Star EBP rating was reducing water consumption. Canal Walk’s water consumption is now 41% more efficient compared to 2016. Even more impressive is that it’s 44% more efficient than the industry standard.

“This second 5-Star EBP certification that Canal Walk has been awarded follows on from its original certification which was achieved in August 2020,” says Berns. An EBP certification is valid for a three-year period from when a building owner receives initial certification. This ensures that existing buildings show that they are continually operating and being maintained in a sustainable manner, and that the owner has opportunities to plan upgrades and improvements to show progress in their buildings.

In order to reduce water consumption, non-potable water is now used at the shopping centre for all irrigation. In addition, waterless urinals and aerated taps have been fitted in the toilet areas. Smart water meters have been installed to provide real-time data on water usage, allowing consumers and utility management to promptly monitor consumption patterns and detect leaks or abnormal usage. More importantly, tenants are now aware of the need to be water-wise. “Initially, when we received feedback from our retailers and office tenants at the start of this process, not everyone had green initiatives as a priority,” explains Canal Walk General Manager Gavin Wood. “Retailers had to be constantly motivated to adopt a sustainable approach.” However, now this way of thinking has been cemented in the shopping centre’s leasing process with new tenants.

Energy efficiency

Another achievement has been reducing the centre’s energy consumption. Canal Walk’s energy consumption has improved by 26% since 2014, while the offices’ energy consumption is 55% better than the industry average. Moreover, staff and customers alike are encouraged to make use of public transport through a Green Travel Plan, while energy usage is constantly monitored. Switching magnetic ballasts for electronic ballasts in the use of fluorescent lighting at the centre has also made a big difference.

The in-vessel composter, which turns food waste into pre-compost, has increased the shopping centre’s diversion rate from landfill by mass from 43% to over 75%.

The presence of load shedding during the 12 months under review was an obstacle, admits Berns. “The biggest and only challenge was the increased demand on diesel generators during the performance period, which coincided with the highest number of days of load shedding,” she says. “This posed a challenge for the emissions levels, which were unprecedented when compared to the centre’s own historical performance and made benchmarking a bit of a task. Regardless, and despite the emissions increase challenge, which impacted the number of points the project scored in the energy category, Canal Walk retained its 5-Star rating.”

Future plans

Now that it has the EBP recertification firmly under its belt, what future plans does the shopping centre have? Through its effort to reduce waste to landfill, Canal Walk is considering registering for a Net Zero Waste certification now, as the EBP certification has shown that it can reach this target.

Tenant staff have been trained to separate waste at source to increase the rate of recycling.

Naik believes the next challenge would be taking significant steps in avoiding single-use plastics. Canal Walk Operations Manager Craig Holmwood concurs, saying waste reduction is very much a work in progress: “Our initial focus was to assess and improve our own green compliance with a view to circle back and identify ways in which further impact could be made to the reduce, reuse and recycle philosophy with our trading partners and customers.”

While there are further ambitious plans in the pipeline, the centre’s management is extremely proud of its achievements to date. “This 5-Star Green Star rating is a significant milestone for Canal Walk and a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our entire team,” concludes Wood. “We are extremely proud to be recognised for our on-going efforts in creating a safe, green space where people can connect and be part of a community.”