A leading cold chain solutions provider– Cold Solutions Kenya Limited– has been awarded the prestigious LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
This prestigious award follows an assessment of its temperature controlled warehouses in Kenya, making it the only facility in Africa with this kind of certification and setting new standards in cold storage technology.
The company which set up its operations in Kenya only two years ago was awarded the coveted certification in the Gold category which is the second top most cluster in the certification criteria after an evaluation of its facilities in Nairobi that met the global standards for green buildings.
According to experts, the company’s flagship facility is located in Tatu City and has capacity to store up to 18,000 pallets. Cold Solutions plans to replicate this in Mombasa, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. The facilities will be constructed to grade A standards bringing global excellence to the cold chain industry.
LEED certification is an international rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that evaluates the environmental performance of buildings and measures their sustainability.
It prioritises energy efficiency, sustainable materials, indoor environmental quality, and innovation.
This certification elevates Cold Solutions business operations to international standards as the facility is now classified as a green building, making it safe for human well-being, reduced environmental impact and energy efficient.
The facility has already received certifications such as YUM!, FSSC 22000, World Health Organization Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and the Pharmaceutical Poisons Board certification for storing food and pharmaceutical products, and now, LEED Gold certification.
Following the award, Mr Azhar Rifai, Co-head of Cold Chain Strategy at ARCH Emerging Partners – the investment firm funding Cold Solutions operations in East Africa observed: “We are extremely excited to be awarded this prestigious certification and being the only temperature controlled warehouse in Africa to achieve this status is a vote of confidence on our business…
“Cold Solutions Kenya Limited continues to raise the bar in storage technology by applying innovation and embracing sustainability in its operations to enhance service delivery. I would like to thank the team for their dedication and efforts to ensuring that the business meets all our sustainability and climate change goals in line with the UN SDGs on environmental responsibility and business environment operations.”
For an organisation to obtain a LEED Gold certification, a point system called the LEED credit library is utilised to track the environmental aspects addressed by the LEED project.
This entails reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and safeguarding the health and environment of the project’s surroundings.
“Achieving LEED Gold certification proves a project’s sustainability with dedication to environmental responsibility and human well-being.
“ For an organisation to achieve LEED Gold or Platinum status, strict adherence to all components of the rating system is crucial. It also underscores the fact that the green houses gases (GHG) emissions are minimized with efficient equipment, renewable energy solutions (solar Power), water reclamation and Ammonia refrigeration hence supporting our clients in significantly reducing emissions” he added.
The LEED rating system operates on a point-based mechanism, evaluating sustainable systems and design elements employed in building projects.
A maximum of 110 points can be awarded, enabling buildings to attain LEED certification and serve as beacons for future sustainable development.
The highest point is Platinum which is achieved by attaining 80 plus points.
Each certification level signifies commendable attainment of prerequisites, such as reducing CO2 emissions, promoting environmental sustainability, enhancing energy efficiency, optimising indoor air and environmental quality, improving energy performance, and prioritising materials sustainability.
