• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Tuesday September 1 2026

Cribbs becomes one of a few retail destinations to achieve BREEAM Excellent

Retail destination Cribbs has become one of only a few UK shopping malls to secure a BREEAM In-Use Excellent rating, highlighting its commitment to carbon and energy reduction, health and wellbeing, transport and broader sustainability.

BREEAM In-Use is the internationally recognised green building certification for operational property and is widely adopted across the real estate sector.

Cribbs’ achievement follows a comprehensive programme of sustainability optimisation across all operations and assets, reflecting its proactive approach to identifying and implementing best-in-class environmental practices, from energy efficiency and resource management to enhancing tenant and customer interactions.

A key contributor to securing the certification is Cribbs’ People, Planet, Purpose campaign which showcases to shoppers and tenants how it is taking steps to encourage greater energy efficiency across the site.

This has resulted in Cribbs achieving ISO50001 certification highlighting continued commitment to improving energy management, installing LED lighting across 98 per cent of the site, investing in a solar thermal domestic hot water system powering hot water taps across toilet blocks, replacing its inefficient plant with modern heating/cooling and fresh air systems.

Meanwhile, Cribbs has introduced a robotic cleaning machine which uses 35% less water than traditional cleaning methods.

The BREEAM certification also follows wider investment by Cribbs including £300,000 in pedestrian and cycle pathway extensions, installing more electric vehicle charging points, and collaborating with local travel networks offering subsidised rates for employees to encourage more green travel.

Cribbs has also developed a strong recycling and waste procedure which is constantly evolving.

Over the past year the team have introduced a tenant waste and recycling strategy, reinstating a recycling coffee grinds initiative for shoppers to collect unwanted coffee grinds for their gardens, and regularly recycling unused uniforms from centre staff.

Meanwhile, Cribbs has undertaken a full biodiversity and ecology management plans which has led to the development of a wildflower garden and the introduction of native beehives to improve biodiversity across the estate.

Alongside the sustainability improvements Cribbs has continued to increase its commitment to the local community which includes its sustainable and accessible free events calendar, investment in first aid, mental health, and dementia and autism awareness training for its guest services team, refurbishing its accessibility unit, and introducing care packages and new sanitary bins across male toilets as part of the Boys Need Bins campaign.

Cribbs’ BREEAM achievement marks a key milestone in its sustainability and wider ESG journey, and the retail destination is working closely with its Sovereign Centros from CBRE asset management team and its partners at Savills to look at more ways to reduce energy consumption and improve waste management, including the installation of solar panels across the centre and new ideas to encourage tenant and community sustainability initiatives.

Katie Searle, director of Asset Management at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, said: “We are delighted to have become one of only a few UK retail destinations to have a BREEAM Excellent certification.

“The award highlights all the hard work the team have undertaken over the past few years as we strive to become one of the most sustainability-friendly destinations in the country.

“Becoming BREEAM certified is one of the key steps on this journey and we are looking forward to working closely with our partners at Savills, tenants and the local community to implement new ideas to not only support our ESG goals, but also those of our retailers and the wider community.”