Ikea in Greenwich has received the highest building environment sustainability rating.

There are just 320 buildings across the world with such a rating and the staff at Ikea are very proud to have been awarded such an accolade.

The building based in North Greenwich was designed and built to reach the highest "BREEAM" rating possible and by reaching ‘Outstanding’, it has achieved the highest rating of any Ikea store in the world.

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News Shopper spoke to the store manager, Helen Aylett, during the grand opening and she expressed how proud she was to have achieved so much in such a short amount of time.

BREEAM stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, and is described as the world's leading sustainability assessment method.

The Greenwich store incorporates a range of sustainable technologies such as solar power, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and renewable construction materials, while maximising the use of renewable electricity with a super-efficient solar array and a geothermal system supporting the heating and cooling.

The store is also highly accessible via public transport, with 46 bus services per hour directly serving the site.

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Helen said: “Achieving ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM certification is a huge step in our commitment to have a positive impact on the environment, the local community and our customers.

"The wide range of sustainable and innovative features that IKEA Greenwich offers are a great way to inform and encourage our customers to take small steps to live more sustainably, whilst we strive to have a positive impact on the local environment.”

The Greenwich store is the 22nd full-sized Ikea store to open in the UK.

Shamir Ghumra, Director of BREEAM said: “We are delighted that IKEA Greenwich has achieved the highest BREEAM UK New Construction Outstanding rating by a retail unit to date.

"BREEAM is the world’s leading building design certification and our aim is to drive excellence in sustainable building practices.”