Nothing demonstrates the success of our efforts better than the fact that in 2024, Allee once again ranked among the top ten in the European field of the GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) international assessment, in the RETAIL category. The company scored 92 out of a possible 100 points. GRESB is a rigorous standard widely recognized around the world as one of the leading benchmarks for measuring the sustainability performance of real estate companies.

We have also achieved an outstanding result in the Greendex (an online magazine on environmental, economic and social issues) survey, which awarded us the title of “the greenest shopping centre in Hungary.

This position is further strengthened by the fact that Allee's operator, Multi, has established a European ESG Ambassador Committee in 2024 and has achieved an outstanding ESG Rating - further enhancing its leadership in shaping the green future of the industry.

In Allee's life, environmental, social and governance (ESG) is not only a strategic objective, but also an integral part of everyday operations. Every year, we are introducing more and more environmentally conscious solutions, while at the same time we are trying to encourage our customers to make more conscious choices through educational campaigns and practical opportunities.

The high score is a great recognition of our dedicated work since 2018, in which we have invested nearly half a billion HUF into sustainability. We're proud that as a result, Allee Shopping Centre is now one of the most sustainable properties in Europe.

Here’s a look at the initiatives that earned us this recognition.

At Allee, we actively use and continuously improve green technologies. We’ve created a 17-meter-tall plant wall with evergreen and perennial plants, covering 65 square meters. This not only produces oxygen and absorbs CO₂ but also plays a significant role in reducing dust and micro-humidifying the air. Allee also boasts 12,000 m² of green spaces filled with trees, shrubs, and ground covers. In addition to this, we are also making the food court greener, where in most cases biodegradable paper-based utensils are used.

We replaced the lighting fixtures in the entire common area of the shopping centre with LED lights and use only electricity from renewable sources. In addition, we also prioritise the active use of natural light, resulting in far fewer luminaires being needed in the building during the day.

A solar park of 710 square metres has been built on the roof above the cinema, which will be increased by a further 40% in the near future.

Our technical systems have been upgraded for better energy efficiency, and we have installed water-saving fixtures in restrooms, such as motion-activated faucets and hand dryers. We also collect waste separately and sort it carefully before we dispose of it, as it is in all our interests to live in harmony with nature.

These measures help save approximately 1.8 million kWh of electricity and reduce our carbon footprint by 660 tons of CO₂ annually.

Sustainability is also taking place in the background: modernising the insulation of the heating plant and introducing electrostatic air filters will also reduce energy consumption and waste production in the long term.

We host educational green programs in our community spaces to promote environmental awareness. To reduce plastic bottle usage, we’ve installed five contact-free water refill stations throughout the center.

Five free, contactless, and automated water bottle refill stations have been installed throughout the shopping center to help reduce the use of plastic water bottles. The bottle fillers, installed in 2022, have since been used more than 150 000 times by our visitors, an equivalent number of unpurchased single-use PET bottles.

As a supporter of green transportation, we offer 24 modern EV charging stations in our parking lot and have partnered with the Wigo car-sharing service, providing four dedicated parking spots. Customers arriving by bicycle will find bike lockers at all four entrances, but bike repair kits are also available for hire at Info Point.

Additionally, we combat food waste. Many of our tenants, including Kaffeine, Starbucks, Caffè Vergnano, INTERSPAR, and Cafe Frei, have joined the Munch initiative for sustainable food management.

Allee is Hungary's first shopping center to achieve the highest "Outstanding" level in the BREEAM certification system, which evaluates the sustainability of buildings. We also earned "Excellent" ratings in environmental performance and were the first to achieve a gold rating in the DGNB green building certification system.

Moreover, Allee has been recognized as Hungary's greenest shopping center by the Greendex online magazine. This ranking reflects our outstanding environmental, economic, and social sustainability achievements.

Banana Moon

Banana Moon is committed to sustainability, which is why they created their Earth Generation and Upcycled collections, made from recycled materials such as abandoned fishing nets and leftover fabrics. With short supply chains, they minimize their ecological footprint and support conscious decision-making. Their “full cycle” approach aims to offer long-lasting, eco-friendly pieces with less waste and more thoughtful care for our planet.

C&A

The world's first fashion retailers to produce and sell GOLD certified Cradle to Cradle® garments, made from 100% organic cotton, in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

For the past 10 years, C&A has worked hard to promote animal welfare. Many years ago they banned the use of fur and angora and now only use 100% RDS certified down. Their animal welfare policy brings their work together and underlines their firm commitment to the fair treatment of animals.

Deichmann

At Deichmann, sustainability is not just a goal – it's part of everyday practice. They create new jobs, use environmentally friendly technologies such as geothermal and solar energy, and carry out most of their shipments by rail or ship, reducing harmful emissions. Their own eco-friendly shoe collections and strict pollutant testing standards – which go beyond legal requirements – show that they think long-term. For them, sustainability means acting responsibly for their customers, employees, and our planet – today and in the future.

dm

In dm's offices, warehouses and stores, energy efficiency, selective waste management and responsible use of resources are priorities.

Sustainable alternatives are offered in almost all own-label product categories. Thanks to European manufacturing, short transport routes are a given, and sustainability is a key factor in all developments. In terms of packaging, the focus is on resource conservation.

Cartons and paper materials are made using largely recycled materials or fresh fibres from responsibly managed forests and are FSC® certified. As there are few real alternatives to plastic, recycled materials are used and bottle sizes are optimised.

Packaging-free for a sustainable future. In 24 stores, dm has installed a refill station where those interested in sustainable solutions can tap two types of Sansin fabric softener and two types of Sansin laundry detergent gel in 2 litre packs.

ECCO

ECCO is committed to reducing waste and recycling has become a core part of the brand's activities. 

In 2021, 78% of the waste from their shoe factories worldwide have been processed or recycled, significantly reducing the number of landfills. In 2021, 62% of waste was recycled and reprocessed in their leather tanneries. In addition, they aim to achieve 90% waste recovery by 2026.

At ECCO, a unique process has been developed that does not require the addition of water to make a complete piece of ECCO DriTan™ leather, saving 20 litres of water – around 400,000 drops – in the process.

In addition, DriTan™ reduces the amount of waste water and chemicals used – saving 260 tonnes in 2021. All the waste water generated in their tannery has always been treated on site. Their goal is to achieve net zero water loss by 2030.

Flying Tiger

By the end of last year, Flying Tiger's store was sourcing its wood and paper products exclusively from sustainable forestry. Notebooks, gift wrappings, napkins and paper cups are all part of the FSC® certified product range.

The use of sustainable wood for the shops' furniture started in 2012. Since then, all new shop furniture in new stores has been made from FSC® certified wood, while existing stores are transitioning to FSC® certified furniture as part of their standard renovation cycle.

Most of the materials they use are sourced from the Flying Tiger Copenhagen forestry.

They will also achieve a 50% reduction in all plastic products by 2025 and have committed to using 50% recycled plastic in their plastic products by 2025, thus saving at least 5,000 tonnes of plastic per year from 2026.

H&M

The brand has replaced all of its packaging with paper to reduce single-use plastics and online orders are also delivered in paper.

Since 2013, H&M has been running a clothing donation programme, which helps to save the environment from tons of textile waste every year. They have recycling boxes in their stores around the world. In exchange for bags of old clothes, they give you a thank you voucher at the checkout to use on your next purchase. The collected clothes are then recycled in a variety of ways.

The brand offers a reward for every responsible choice made by our club members. If you bring your own shopping bag to the store instead of buying a new one, you'll earn 10 points.

Helly Hansen

Helly Hansen has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). The Norwegian technical clothing brand has since been using the group's Higg Index to promote environmental responsibility within its manufacturing chain.

As part of the collaboration, Helly Hansen provides manufacturing data and other resources to the SAC, contributing to the Coalition's sustainability measurement system. 

The Norwegian company has taken to the next level with the launch of its latest environmentally conscious Mono Material range: the uniqueness of the collection is that it includes garments with a single fabric construction, which can be 100% recycled using the fabric-to-fabric principle, thus greatly reducing waste production.

What's more, the T-shirts and jackets in the Ocean Bound collection contain at least 50% recycled plastic gained from fishing gear, PET bottles and other plastic waste from the sea and canals.

Hummusbar

In the name of sustainability, they use environmentally friendly packaging for takeaway orders.

Interspar

Interspar is committed to sustainability in several areas. Through their initiative called Eco-Adventure, children can learn about environmental issues and take action for a more sustainable future through fairy tales characters, readings and video games. 

Interspar is also working with Munch to fight against food waste.

The company is using digital solutions to reduce the paper-based administration needed to run its stores. The measure will save 14 tonnes of paper as early as 2023.

In addition, SPAR will save a significant amount of plastic film per year by using reusable roll-fed packaging in its logistics processes to cover a proportion of deliveries to stores.

By the end of 2022, the number of used cooking oil collecting points across the SPAR network have more than doubled, making it easy to dispose of the otherwise polluting but recyclable material at eighty hypermarkets and supermarkets.

From August, only biodegradable bags will be available in the fruit and vegetable sections of SPAR and INTERSPAR stores nationwide, taking single-use plastic bags out of the shops for good.

Intersport

From 2019, INTERSPORT uses 100% PFC-free materials for all garments with waterproof layers. Furthermore, in the spirit of responsible sheep farming, the company only buys wool from sheep that are raised in an animal-friendly way.

Intimissimi

Intimissimi strives to fully reject the use of disposable, single-use packaging, and all its stores offer the possibility to buy reusable canvas bags for a more sustainable future.

As an alternative, FSC®-certified shopping bags made from recycled paper can be purchased at a very low, symbolic price.

Proceeds from the sale of paper shopping bags fund the reforestation of more than 1 million trees around the world

Jysk

JYSK is committed to sourcing more sustainable wood and cotton, and has committed to produce all its textile products from 100% more sustainable cotton by the end of 2024, and to have all its wood, cardboard and paper products and packaging FSC® certified (FSC® N001715) by the end of 2024.

JYSK is continuously working to increase the use of recycled materials with a focus on quality and reliability. As part of this, the company strives to design its products to be more biodegradable, making them easier to recycle.

Levi’s

For the 2021 spring/summer season, the entire menswear collection was made from certified organic cotton, grown without chemical pesticides. And this season, Levi's® Sling Bags, oversized shopping or beach bags and backpacks are made from recycled polyester from recycled plastic bottles and other plastic waste.

The brand has also switched to using cotton hemp since the last few seasons.

Libri

All Libri's bookstores also serve as 'Tale Points', where anyone can drop off children's books they no longer use, and the company distributes them to disadvantaged children - finding a new purpose for tens of thousands of books, preventing them from becoming paper waste. They use FSC®-certified materials for their packaging and filling materials, as well as their own paper-based publications, and are constantly looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of the day-to-day running of their offices, warehouses and shops.

Lindt

Since 2020, Lindt has been able to trace back every single cocoa bean, sourcing chocolate ingredients only from verifiable farms. 

The brand has reduced the size of packaging and uses recyclable materials wherever possible.

Lush

Environmental issues are particularly close to Lush's heart and play an important role in all their day-to-day business decisions. For example, they use almond oil and olive oil instead of petroleum in their cosmetics, which are produced in a more sustainable way, and 90% of their packaging is recycled. 

The company is working to reduce the amount of energy used in production, transport and distribution.

Nespresso

At Nespresso, coffee capsules are made out of aluminium, which is infinitely recyclable, saving the environment from a large amount of waste with their recyclable capsules.

To make recycling easier and more convenient, more than 100,000 collection points have been set up worldwide, with organised collection at home and postal delivery.

By the end of last year, they had achieved carbon neutrality in every cup of coffee and 93% of their coffee is sourced through the AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program.

Pupa Milano

PUPA Milano is committed to sustainability: their products contain up to 98% naturally derived ingredients, and none of them include components tested on animals. During production, they use a significant amount of solar energy thanks to the photovoltaic system installed on the roof of their facility. Through these efforts, they actively contribute to creating a more ethical and greener beauty industry.

Samsonite

The brand reduces the impact of the global waste problem by producing durable, timeless products.

At least 95% of the main outer and inner fabrics are made from recycled PET bottles

Samsung

Samsung strives to recycle resources and to source raw materials and necessary resources from renewable sources in order to reduce its environmental impact.

Starbucks

In 2015, Starbucks already achieved 99% ethical sourcing of the coffee it buys. In addition, more than 31 million climate-resilient coffee varieties, including a hybrid bred at Hacienda Alsacia, have been donated to farms worldwide. Farmers can continue to work by replacing old or diseased shrubs with new, resistant specimens, whether they are producing for Starbucks® or others.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop’s refill system offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the planet with a simple change. Less plastic waste is generated, as one single bottle can be reused again and again – saving over 25 tons of plastic each year. They use ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients and packaging, constantly seeking solutions that benefit both people and the environment. Their goal is to contribute to a cleaner, more livable future with less waste and greater awareness.

Triumph

Triumph has introduced a reusing and recycling programme in selected stores in the European Union, and is replacing non-environmentally friendly materials with more responsible alternatives such as recycled plastic or organic cotton materials.

The brand has also stopped using single-use plastics.

VAN GRAAF

In exchange for donated clothes in the VAN GRAAF shop, customers can receive a voucher. The I:Collect service allows you to drop off unused but undamaged clothes at the VAN GRAAF store in Allee. The voucher can be used for the next purchase.

VAN GRAAF stores have completely switched to paper packaging. 

One

One's objective is to reduce energy consumption, and it has already taken several steps to achieve this: