After the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Levi’s logistics center for the European market at the end of March 2022, it is now almost complete: After 16 months of construction, the first logistics area in Germany that meets the Cradle-to-Cradle sustainability requirement has been realized.
“Levi Strauss & Co. is rewriting logistics with this groundbreaking project: contemporary and with an eye on future generations. And we are certain that the Positive Footprint Wearhouse will not remain an exception, but will establish a new industry standard and a new mindset,” commented Edwin Meijerink, Managing Director of the Dutch project developer Delta Development, in a press release on Monday.
For the “Positive Footprint Wearhouse”, value was placed on the reuse of materials, on resource conservation and waste reduction. For example, concrete foundations from the closed Wulfen colliery that were located on the property were recycled and then reused in the new building. A geothermal heating and cooling system, green roofs and solar panels are also to be created, as well as a biodiversity park and a recycling plant.
The approximately 70,000 square meter C2C center also has, among other things, a material database for efficient recycling, maximum material health, sustainable energy and resource management and “human-centered design”.
European hub in Dorsten
Levi’s has leased the property for 20 years and will use it as a new distribution center that will create 650 jobs and coordinate up to 55 million items. The European market is to be served from Dorsten and the strategic goals of the company in Europe are to be advanced – especially the omnichannel strategies.
“For us, the logistics center is the opportunity to operate distribution on our own. It helps us to continue our omnichannel strategy in Europe and also to set a mark on sustainability. At the end of the day: “You own your own destiny” – we gain flexibility, this is again related to the omnichannel strategy and at the end of the day also supports our overall growth strategy in Europe,” said Torsten Müller, Levi’s Head of Logistics for Europe. South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, speaking to FashionUnited at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“In Europe we work together with service providers except for one warehouse. This will be the second camp here that we will operate ourselves. That was a conscious strategic decision because we will move to a size where you should do it yourself,” added Müller.
The new logistics center on the former mining site in the Große Heide Wulfen industrial park is scheduled to go into operation at the end of April 20214.