A tailor-made, environmentally responsible building that illustrates the Prologis Group’s vision and commitment to environmental transition and meets Monoprix’s requirements.
The Monoprix Group and Prologis Inc, an international leader in logistics real estate, today inaugurated the world’s first certified carbon-neutral logistics platform at Moissy-Cramayel (77), in the Parc Prologis Moissy 2 Les Chevrons. With a surface area of 100,000 m2, the platform will be operated by Monoprix for a minimum of 12 years and equipped with robotics technology developed by the French company Exotec®.
Located in the heart of the Grand Paris Sud region, a Pôle d’Excellence Régional Logistique, this large-scale project illustrates Prologis’ ability to offer a unique range of ultra-modern XXL buildings in the best locations to meet the needs of its e-commerce, industrial and retail customers,
and major retailers. It also confirms Prologis’ ability to redevelop brownfield sites and to ensure the sustainability of its developments. The site has been completely redeveloped, combining innovation and sustainable development.
This platform will enable the Monoprix Group to store products for supplying its shops and delivering orders placed on Monoprix.fr. In terms of volume, almost 45 million parcels a year will pass through the warehouse, representing 25% of Monoprix’s national transit business. With this new-generation logistics facility, the Group is now perfectly equipped, as part of its 2030 strategy, to achieve its ambition of omnichannel growth and contribute to its goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions.
The 1st ‘carbon neutral’ logistics building in the world.
To achieve this objective of complete carbon neutrality, unprecedented in the world for a logistics building, Prologis has taken action at every stage of the building’s life cycle, from construction to operation, to neutralise the entire carbon footprint over a period of 50 years. Following an approach of avoidance, then reduction and then compensation, 150,000 tonnes of CO2 are neutralised, the equivalent of the annual CO2 production of a French town of 16,000 inhabitants. 40,000 tonnes of CO2 are saved during construction
construction and 110,000 tonnes over the entire life cycle. Prologis’ actions have focused in particular on optimising and reducing energy consumption, implementing digital tools to adjust consumption, and using low-carbon energy and bio-sourced materials.
Cécile Tricault, Managing Director of Prologis Southern Europe, said: ‘We are particularly proud to be delivering this platform to Monoprix today. This restructuring project illustrates our vision and commitments in terms of environmental transition. We have a major responsibility as a world leader and, as such, we have been placing climate challenges at the heart of our strategy for a number of years now, to help our customers move towards a low-carbon economy while meeting their new needs.
Jean-Paul Mochet, Chairman of the Monoprix Group, explains: ‘As a major economic player, our responsibility towards the climate challenge must be seen as a whole. It’s not just a question of selecting the products we sell more carefully, but also of acting on the way we store and transport them.
and transporting them. With this carbon-neutral warehouse, which is a world first, Monoprix is establishing itself as a pioneer in green logistics and is in line with the objectives set by the Casino Group in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions’.
100,000 m2 of ultra-modern space that will enable Monoprix to take a new step forward in its non-food e-commerce strategy.
The platform has been tailor-made to provide Monoprix with a modern logistics tool capable of supporting its strong growth. Thanks in particular to the integration of technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), this new warehouse will enable Monoprix to increase its processing capacity by doubling the storage potential of its e-commerce site, significantly speeding up order processing times and improving the quality of its customer service.
Monoprix chooses Exotec technology to optimise operational speed.
In order to significantly boost production capacity, notably by improving parcel preparation performance, Monoprix has chosen the Skypod robotic system designed by Exotec. This system adapts to the architecture of the warehouse and offers storage at heights of up to 10 metres, optimising space and footprint. The robots, which are guided in real time and move in three dimensions, offer high speeds of 400 bins per hour.
Romain Moulin, CEO of Exotec, comments: ‘In the current context where it is difficult to make accurate forecasts, the Skypod system offers Monoprix the possibility of adjusting its production capacity very easily. Exotec’s technology combines reliability, flexibility and a low energy footprint, essential guarantees for Monoprix’s business and its responsible approach. 5 years ago, the Casino group, with Cdiscount, was one of the first to see the potential of the technology developed by Exotec, and it is always a great source of pride to see our long-standing customers renew their confidence in us’.
Putting people at the heart of the project.
This logistics centre is an opportunity for Monoprix to bring together 400 employees, who were previously scattered over 3 different sites, by offering them a workplace close to public transport, a high-quality working environment and pleasant workspaces, including outdoor areas accessible to all. Comfort and safety have been considered down to the smallest detail, right down to the development of four pedestrian bridges located above the lorry yards to prevent employees from walking between vehicles.
all in a building that blends in perfectly with its surroundings.
An open innovation approach.
With the support of an ecosystem of greentech partners, Prologis has equipped its platform with a wide range of innovative equipment in POC (Proof Of Concept) mode. In this way, the development is a kind of life-size laboratory for experimenting with and deploying new solutions. For example, the
the BTES (Borehole Thermal Energy Storage) geothermal heating system developed in partnership with Accenta greentech. Heating is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, generally accounting for half of a logistics platform’s energy consumption.
a logistics platform. The system deployed by Prologis and Accenta involves storing heat energy in the ground from one season to the next and releasing it using heat pumps controlled by an application based on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Machine Learning. The installation comprises a field of 100 probes, each 100 metres long, which store heat energy by circulating water. This solution contributes 30% of the total decarbonisation of the project (60% reduction in heating and cooling consumption and 71% reduction in related emissions).
The Group has also equipped the building with the EEGLE digital solution and integrated its ‘FM Portal’ solution, a digital tool that manages the maintenance of its buildings, including a ticketing system. The platform is thus the first in the logistics property sector to deploy a digital system of this scale. It benefits from simplified, optimal technical management (predictive function for maintenance deadlines, alerts in the event of malfunctions, etc.), which will ensure that Monoprix can operate the site more efficiently and significantly reduce its operating costs.
An annual electricity production capacity of 1.5 GWh.
The building is also equipped with 36,000 m2 of roof covered with solar panels, which produce an estimated 1.5 GWh of electricity per year, enough to cover the electricity needs of 320 households each year. On a daily basis, this self-generation of energy will cover 25% of the site’s consumption.
The use of LED lamps.
Switched on less often, for less time and less intensely than traditional lighting systems, LEDs offer major savings for the hub and its outdoor areas. LED lighting with variable intensity and presence detectors can cut energy consumption by a factor of 4.
energy consumption. Prior to the deployment of LEDs, lighting was often a particularly high energy-consumption item in logistics buildings. By way of example, a study carried out on a 40,000 m² logistics building that switched to LEDs showed a saving of 80 tonnes of CO2 per year compared with its previous installation. What’s more, with their more even and less glare-inducing light, LEDs will enhance the visual comfort, well-being and productivity of employees. They can also be used to modulate outdoor lighting to benefit nocturnal wildlife.
A test of a concrete with a lower carbon footprint.
Concrete accounts for almost 52% of emissions from the construction sector and is responsible for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Aware of this impact, Prologis is developing a policy of industrial partnerships on a daily basis in order to apply new materials, such as
carbon-free concrete.
With this in mind, the Prologis teams approached Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, the first company to market a low-carbon concrete, to carry out a pilot test at the Moissy site. The company has developed an innovative concrete manufacturing process that does not require
which accounts for the majority of CO2 emissions from conventional concrete. This cold manufacturing process enables the carbon emissions of the concrete slab to be divided by 4. This experiment was carried out on a test area of 400 m2 and could be rolled out on a larger scale.
These certifications illustrate the site’s ecological performance.
It is essential for Prologis to have its processes supervised by recognised, demanding and uncompromising third-party experts. This warehouse will be the 1st logistics building in the world to be certified by the ILFI (International Living Future Institute). Furthermore, in line with the objectives of the ISO 14001 standard from which
Prologis, the building has been awarded BREEAM environmental certification and is aiming for Outstanding level. This asset will also be awarded the WELL Silver level label, which focuses on the well-being of employees on the site.
In addition, as a member of CIBI (Conseil International Biodiversité et Immobilier), Prologis is committed to a park-wide BiodiverCity® initiative, a label designed to promote urban biodiversity throughout the life of the site. An orchard, a swallow tower, insect hotels, nesting boxes
and beehives have been installed to support the development of bees, an essential link in the pollination and production of plants, fruit and vegetables. Regular pollen analyses enable us to assess the quality of the site’s biodiversity and improve it through targeted actions.
‘Thanks to innovative technologies, from construction to operation, the warehouse meets the challenges of decarbonisation and resilience of the supply chain, land sobriety, rainwater management, the circular economy and the preservation of biodiversity. As a leader in our sector, we have a duty to set an example, and obtaining these certifications and labels is genuine recognition of our approach to sustainable development and biodiversity. This building is a living demonstration of Prologis‘ and Monoprix’s ability to significantly reduce the impact of its activities on the environment,’ explains Olivier Barge, Director of Projects and Innovation for Southern Europe.