November marks officially one year of operation of Bo’Valon Mall. The past months have been amazing with a real learning experience. This first year of operation was indeed rich in terms of activities at the Mall and unexpected events on the island namely with the lockdown period and the Wakashio shipwreck. Adaptability was key during these periods. 

Thanks to my colleagues, extraordinary work has been undertaken to offer a new lifestyle to the inhabitants of the region. We kept our focus on our customer promise, that is, creating an accessible, safe, comfortable and engaging environment. As such, Bo’Valon Mall is consistently reviewing its sustainability initiatives which I would like to share with you. 

We have a grey water system in place which consists of collecting rainwater on our roof and grey water from the wash basins from mall toilets. This water is treated and reused for the flushing system in all our toilets. From this initiative we can save on average 200m³ of potable water per month which equals to approximately the consumption of 20 households. Furthermore, our brand new Sewerage Treatment Plan (STP) is treating 700 m³  per month, i.e approximately the consumption of 70 households, and it is watering the plants all around Bo’Valon Mall, hence saving the same amount of fresh water each month. 

Regarding the waste disposal, we are recycling cardboard, plastics and we are currently working on a new project to recycle the wet waste ) by implementing the sorting at source. Our aim is to reduce dumping at Mare-Chicose from currently 70% to 10% in the near future while transforming the wet waste in reusable energy such as gas and compost.

With respect to the electricity consumptions, we have installed LED lights in order to reduce the overall bill of the mall.

Moreover, after the successful launch of INI’VERT, Ascencia’s campaign in 2019, the second edition featured a broad array of activities in our Malls to promote our green stamp and raise people’s awareness on environmental issues. Our Trash is Treasure activity was held in Beau Vallon in July 2020 where 60 team members have helped to collect 1,5 tonnes of waste. 

Finally, the Bo’Valon Mall team is proud to have completed its green area garden covering a surface area of approximately. 3,000 metre square which is a first at Ascencia.

2021 will be another challenging and exciting year for the Mall. Many initiatives, currently in the pipeline, will be implemented in order to continue our sustainable journey and to provide a unique shopping experience to our shoppers and visitors.