Clyde Shopping Centre

Clyde Shopping Centre is located in the centre of Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. With no traditional high street, the privately owned shopping centre operates as the main town centre for the area, providing convenience and comparison shopping as well as an important central focal point for the local community. Clyde Shopping Centre has an exceptional level of commitment to environmental initiatives and carbon reduction.

The VIBES Management Award recognises businesses whose management systems deliver continuous improvement in environmental performance. The category is aimed at businesses that are taking a holistic approach to  environmental improvement and can demonstrate the associated economic and social benefits that have been achieved.

Clyde Shopping Centre is strongly committed to sustainable development and has shared and spread this enthusiasm with its staff. The company has been able to utilise the staff skills and talents to boost their environment capacity – from bee keeping to biodiesel manufacture – most staff have been engaged in the environmental programme.

The judges were impressed with the significant energy, water and waste management improvements that have been made through implementation of a variety of measures. The Centre has signed and achieved its Resource Efficient Scotland ‘Environmental Pledge’ to reduce resource use by 5% in a year. The Centre installed an onsite ‘Rocket’ composter. The compost is used in the eco-garden, with some given to local community groups. A Bio- Diesel processor for waste collection and external cleaning vehicles on site was introduced in 2015. Two bee hives have been installed on the roof of the Centre.

Clyde Shopping Centre has a strong community involvement. Free compost is given to the local community for the community gardens and the community also benefits from free use of meeting rooms. The company works directly with local schools with their Eco Schools Projects.

The Centre’s team has created an environmental garden, designed by a local school, on a piece of waste land.  Here they teach local children about nature, sustainability and how to grow amazing produce – from compost that they have produced themselves. 800 children were involved in the ecogarden in the last year. The eco gardens were partsponsored by Network Rail; Network Rail has taken the opportunity to deliver rail safety messages to the
children involved in the gardens project.

The centre also plays a key role in promoting sustainability to the tenants at the shopping centre.

The judges recognised that the company were keen to share best practice with other organisations and had published a number of case studies in various journals.

Andrew Forrester, Centre Manager for Clyde Shopping Centre, said: “We are passionate and committed to reducing our impact on the environment by developing and implementing sustainable initiatives, we are delighted and proud that our efforts have resulted in a commendation from VIBES.”