Asda shuts fridge doors at £27m 'eco' store

Asda opens its first UK low carbon superstore today in Bootle, near Liverpool. The store’s frame is made entirely from timber and will be a 35 per cent more energy efficient than any existing Asda store, the Wal-Mart owned company claims. Other features include solar-powered lighting and recycled rain water to flush toilets.

Inside the £27m ‘eco’ store, lighting, fridges and heating have been specially designed to reduce energy waste – all the fridges, for example, will have doors on them instead of the traditional open-fronted chiller cabinets.

By using natural lighting it is estimated that the store will save approximately 142 tonnes of CO2 and 349,000 kWh of electricity per year.

There is a grass roof, which will provide better insulation and water retention as well as acting as a haven for insects and wildlife.

The store has been built using materials from recycled and renewable sources, including reclaimed bricks from Liverpool’s docks. The landscape outside has been filled with locally sourced plants and trees.

Julian Walker-Palin, head of sustainability and ethics for Asda, said:

“It’s great to see the project finally come to fruition. I hope that the creation of our latest low carbon store will help raise awareness of some of the ecological issues we all face.”

Asda’s not the only supermarket touting ‘eco’ stores. Tesco is also planning to open its first UK green supermarket next year. But can there ever be such a thing as an environmentally-friendly supermarket store, especially when the full footprint to the store, including freight, is taken into account? There’s a good article in The Guardian at the weekend asking just that question and comparing how the big names are all shaping up on the green front.

More from the Asda website here.