Supertech Durban achieves 4-Star Green Building Rating

As part of the criteria for awarding the EPB rating, the GBCSA takes into consideration the indoor environment quality, electricity usage and savings, transport, water usage and recycling, materials, land use and ecology, emissions and innovation. In June this year, the GBCSA awarded BMW South Africa a 5-star rating for its environmentally-friendly head office in Midrand, Gauteng.

"At the BMW Group, our approach to sustainability is holistic and focuses on implementing sustainability throughout the value chain and ensuring that it is firmly entrenched within our company structures. We are excited about Supertech Durban receiving this certification. It perfectly contributes to our group-wide environmental protection strategy of creating sustainable design of buildings and processes," says Tim Abbott, managing director of BMW Group South Africa.

Application process

The 18 month-long application process was started in January 2014 and included many site visits from GBCSA, testing of processes, completion of documentation, and reviewing of utility bills, amongst other criteria.

Being one of the first exclusive BMW i dealerships in South Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal province, it was a pre-requisite that Supertech Durban hold a GBCSA certification.

"We are very proud to be the first automotive dealership in South Africa to have been awarded this rating," says Shabir Tayob, managing director of Supertech Durban. "It strengthens our principles and commitment of being a responsible business. We have a strategic partnership with 'Don't Waste Services' in KwaZulu-Natal who we work closely with to assist us in all our recycling requirements, from litter, oils, cloths to plastics and paper."

The rating is valid for a period of three years.