Jef Colruyt, CEO of Belgian retailer Colruyt Group, has been awarded the first Joule Prize for Renewable Energy. The award was offered by the Organisation for Renewable Energy (ODE) and presented at the Flemish Parliament.
The ODE called the Colruyt Group, 'a positive trendsetter who opens up new horizons for the whole business world in Flanders', after an ODE jury chose the company unanimously from among a strong list of candidates.
CEO Jef Colruyt accepted the prize as a recognition of the group’s many years’ pursuit of a more sustainable environment. “Caring for base materials and energy has always been in our genes," he said.
“In 1999, it was a logical step to build a first wind turbine next to our distribution centre in Halle. Today we have the deep-rooted conviction that renewable energy is the future and we want to be a pioneer in the fight against global warming.
“We are determined to reduce our relative greenhouse gas emission by 20 % as compared with 2008, by 2020.”
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aoife Lawless. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
