BMW of North America Receives Green Building LEED Certificates

BMW of North America, LLC announced today two of its Regional Distribution Centers located in suburban Chicago (Minooka, IL) and Eastern Pennsylvania (Lower Nazareth, PA) have received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.

According to LEED guidelines, both facilities were constructed in an environmental and sustainable way. Highlights include energy and water usage being reduced by more than 20 percent compared to standard building practice. Further, over 80 percent of all construction waste was recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills. Both facilities were noted for using recycled and locally sourced materials, drought tolerant landscaping, and eliminating permanent irrigation systems to reduce the use of potable water.

The facility in Lower Nazareth, PA received "LEED certified" recognition, while the facility in Minooka, IL was awarded "LEED silver certified." Currently, the two centers serve 279 BMW and MINI dealers in the Northeast and Midwest with next-day delivery of auto and motorcycle parts, accessories and branded lifestyle products.

"We work hard to support sustainable business development in all that we do," commented Dan Creed, Vice President of Aftersales at BMW of North America LLC. "The two LEED certificates show our environmental thinking goes far beyond vehicle development. In fact, each and every proposal today is measured against the corporate goal of maximum sustainability guaranteeing ecological and social aspects are considered alongside economic factors in the decision-making process."

To develop and build the Regional Distribution Centers, BMW selected ProLogis, a global leader in distribution facilities with a strong track record and expertise in the area of sustainable development.

"We're committed to developing distribution facilities to the highest environmental standards," said Jack Rizzo, Chief Sustainability Officer at ProLogis. "Because our environmental philosophies are closely aligned, it was an absolute pleasure to work with BMW and build two high-quality distribution facilities that are both strategically located and environmentally responsible."

The BMW Group has defined sustainability as a key corporate principle as far back as 2000. Since then, sustainability has been integrated throughout the value chain and its underlying processes - creating an added value for the company, the environment and society. In fact, in 2009, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index named BMW Group the most sustainable automobile company in the world for the 5th consecutive year making BMW the world's "greenest" automaker.

In the U.S., apart from the recent LEED certifications, the BMW Group has been commended for several other sustainable building projects. In 2006, the BMW plant in Spartanburg, SC - manufacturing site for all BMW X5 and X6 worldwide production - was cited as the "Energy Partner of the Year" by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the intelligent re-use of methane-gas from a local landfill. Today, over 60 percent of the plant's energy needs are covered by this recycled methane. In 2008, when BMW of North America, LLC opened its new headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, 30 percent of the $100 million investment was spent on cleaning up the soil contaminated by 100 years of extensive orchard farming. Also in 2008, BMW received certification from the South Carolinian Wildlife Federation for constructing a wildlife viewing area, nature trails and garden behind its Information Technology Research Center located on the Clemson University Graduate Institute campus.