Green Steps

Kringlan’s Environmental Policy

As Iceland’s most frequently visited shopping centre, Kringlan takes social responsibility seriously and is committed to promoting an environmentally-friendly society. Kringlan sets out to be a leading force in environmental matters among Icelandic shopping centres through its Green Steps environmental policy. Kringlan is committed to:

Sorting of at least 50% of waste material Sorting cardboard and plastic in collaboration with Kringlan’s business operators Sorting plastic, aluminium and glass containers in Kringlan’s common areas Sorting organic waste from Kringlan’s eating places and coffee shops Introducing a multi-purpose sorting centre for Kringlan’s business operators

Reducing energy use by at least 20% Increasing the use of energy-efficient lightbulbs in Kringlan’s common areas Reducing the time that outdoor lights are turned on in Kringlan’s parking areas Taking energy-saving into consideration during building and renovation Introducing time-automated air-conditioning in Kringlan’s common areas

Reducing water use by at least 20% Reducing hot water consumption through time-automated air-conditioning Introducing meters to monitor Kringlan’s hot water consumption Installing automatic mixer taps and water efficient flush buttons in Kringlan’s toilets

Encouraging the use of environmentally-friendly transport to and from Kringlan Ensuring public transport to and from Kringlan Planning a central transport hub in the event of Kringlan being enlarged Improving cycle paths and facilities for cyclists Installing more charging stations for electric vehicles

Working with Kringlan’s business operators to reduce the use of plastic bags and encourage paper sorting Using corn starch bin liners for Kringlan’s rubbish bins Encouraging business operators to use recycled paper bags Introducing reusable shopping bags for visitors to Kringlan Encouraging sorting of paper through strategic placement of sorting bins

Increasing vegetation and green spaces in Kringlan‘s outdoor areas.

Environmental gains

2012 Award for waste sorting.

In 2012, Kringlan’s corrugated paper waste amounted to 100 tonnes, the equivalent of 1,780 mature trees. Clearly, sorting waste is an enormous gain to the environment.

  Recycling reduces the impact on the Earth’s natural resources by creating a cycle of raw materials that can be used and reused. Corrugated paper can be recycled up to seven times with no reduction to its quality. We at Kringlan are proud of the environmental gains we have achieved through sorting corrugated paper:

  Electricity is one of the key resources used in producing corrugated paper. By recycling raw materials we have saved the equivalent of approximately 297,000 KW hours – the annual consumption of 82 households.

  Water is another key natural resource in the production of corrugated paper. Recycling cardboard means that we reduced our water consumption by one individual’s use over seven years – the amount needed to fill three 25-metre swimming-pools.

  Oil is also used to make corrugated paper. Our recycling means a significant reduction in the use of oil for production. In 2009, Kringlan saved a total of 895 barrels of oil.

  If Kringlan had sent all its corrugated paper to a waste tip, it would have filled 314.3 m2 - the space needed to stack 20 shipping containers.