Bruno Millienne: “Collective intelligence will be key to achieving the environmental transition of logistics real estate”

Bruno Millienne : Because they address a wide range of challenges. Warehouses serve as storage and distribution centers for products to be delivered to consumers, businesses, and so on. They therefore play a crucial role in the supply chain, ensuring products are available in the right place at the right time. In addition, companies need space to maintain adequate inventory levels to meet market demand without overloading their main premises. Lastly, warehouses give companies the flexibility to adapt to changes in demand or business models.

Bruno Millienne : We can no longer design warehouses as we did around a decade ago, notably because of the energy and environmental transition. When selecting the location for a new building, already developed sites must be favored over agricultural land or sensitive natural areas. These locations must also be well served by public transportation or close to existing infrastructure, particularly waterways, to reduce dependence on road transport.

Bruno Millienne : Warehouse design must be environmentally responsible, using sustainable materials and maximizing energy efficiency through proper insulation and energy performance contracts. At the same time, energy sources must be renewable, and effective rainwater-harvesting systems must be put in place. Then there is green transportation. When a warehouse serves an area within a maximum radius of 200 kilometers, electric mobility must be promoted by installing fast-charging stations at the logistics platform. Beyond a 200-kilometer radius, green gas and/or, where possible, rail transport should be favored. Final points not to be overlooked: deploying waste recycling and/or material reuse in warehouse development projects, and taking steps to obtain the appropriate environmental certifications, particularly ISO 14001, which specifies requirements for an environmental management system.

Bruno Millienne : Logistics real estate professionals are making efforts. We must continue along this path and go further by relying on collective intelligence rather than passing new laws. In practical terms, this means dialogue between local elected officials and logistics-sector stakeholders. For example, the French wholesalers’ confederation and elected officials in metropolitan areas always find solutions through discussions to organize traffic and unloading plans in cities.

Bruno Millienne : It will become increasingly difficult to find available square meters for developing new projects. Under these circumstances, well-located warehouses will have to be built taller and denser. This will require dialogue with local elected officials, local residents, and environmental advocacy groups. In addition, prefects will have to act as mediators to support the essential public education effort on the issue: consumption will continue to generate storage needs, resulting either in further urban sprawl—which no one wants—or in multistory buildings. Lastly, the design of industrial or commercial zones, which will increasingly be developed on brownfield sites, must be accompanied by the development of logistics platforms. The Green Industry Act creates the conditions to encourage this approach.

Bruno Millienne : Without warehouses close to industrial sites, the reindustrialization movement will not achieve the same scale. And the closer and more integrated storage facilities are to industrial and commercial sites, the more sustainable these activities will become. We could also envisage pooling distribution among manufacturers and other economic players to optimize truck loads and thereby reduce the carbon footprint.

Bruno Millienne : By organizing flows intelligently through shared unloading points or by deploying smart solutions such as these connected delivery areas, which increase turnover and free up parking spaces for urban freight and deliveries. Once again, collective intelligence is the key to solving this logistical and environmental challenge. 

Bruno Millienne : It is an initial and positive step. In my view, the commitments that need strengthening concern the inclusion of stakeholders in the co-development of projects. Dialogue can enrich a process while ensuring that everyone’s interests are properly respected. Another important point to explore further: citizens are increasingly attentive to corporate transparency in sustainability reporting. The development of the European environmental excellence framework, an initiative in which I am involved, should provide greater clarity and readability on these issues.

Bruno Millienne : France must step up the deployment of solar power plants to increase its renewable energy production. Yet a considerable number of square meters could accommodate rooftop photovoltaic panels. The French State and members of Parliament must do everything possible to facilitate this rollout and the distribution of the energy surplus produced by removing any obstacles that may exist. The more warehouses become energy self-sufficient—or even energy distributors—the better they will be accepted by citizens.