New lighting in the shopping center's parking lot comes from renewable energy sources and will allow achieving an energy efficiency gain of around 90%;
The installation of the new poles is the result of a partnership with Omniflow, a Porto-based manufacturer of intelligent and sustainable applications;
The initiative integrates VIA Outlets' wider strategy that aims to achieve a 50% reduction in energy intensity in the portfolio of the 11 centers.
Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet installed 160 light poles powered by solar and wind energy in its outdoor parking lot, which means that at the moment 70% of all energy consumed by this park now comes from renewable energy, with the remaining 30 % also equipped with low-intensity LED technology.
The installation of these lighting poles follows a partnership between the shopping center and the Portuguese technology company Omniflow. Born in 2012 in Porto, Omniflow manufactures Omniled, an intelligent platform for the IoT that uses renewable energy sources for different services, from street lighting to surveillance. The 160 lampposts, which are connected to the grid, first use the available renewable energy, and only if the batteries run out do they resort to grid power - this means an energy efficiency gain of around 90%.
"Freeport, like other shopping centers of the VIA Outlets Group, has been investing in new sustainability initiatives that focus, among other things, on the conscious use of energy resources," explains Jorge Pinto Fernandes Business Director of VIA Outlets in Portugal. "The installation of these new lampposts is another step in a broad strategy of the group towards a more sustainable operation and structure," he concludes.
It should be recalled that in 2022 Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet achieved the BREEAM Excellent level, an international evaluation system developed by the British Building Research Establishment that allows measuring the degree of environmental sustainability of buildings in distinct categories, such as management, health and well-being, energy, transportation, water, materials, waste, ecology and land use, pollution and innovation.
Sustainability as a path
Growing sustainably remains a priority for VIA Outlets, which promotes ESG standards through its Beyond Sustainable strategy, which is implemented in all business areas.
The work done by VIA Outlets has been recognized for the third consecutive year with a 5-star rating in the GRESB Benchmark 2022, ISO 14.001 environmental management certification, and BREEAM recertification at all its centers in Europe. With the new BREEAM re-certifications at three centers in the VIA Outlets portfolio, all shopping centers now have this certification at Outstanding or Very Good levels. This outstanding year is also reflected in the Fitch rating, with a very strong BBB+ credit rating.
About VIA Outlets
VIA Outlets, owned by the Dutch pension fund asset manager APG, was established in 2014 to acquire and manage existing outlet shopping centers across Europe. Its portfolio currently includes 11 Shopping centers with more than 1,100 stores in nine European countries. In Portugal, the VIA Outlets group includes the Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, in Alcochete, and the Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet, in Vila do Conde.