A new template for the environmentally-friendly distribution centre of the future is being developed in the UK by a group of developers working in collaboration to establish a common set of measures.

It is rare in any industry that competitors co-operate. But Gazeley is contributing to a collaborative effort in the UK that will set the template for the environmentally-friendly distribution centre of the future. A group of competing developers sat down to establish a common set of measures to evaluate the eco-performance of logistics facilities, together with an environmental vocabulary which could be used and understood by all.

The process is now being mirrored around the world, with Gazeley leading efforts to set up a series of countryspecific benchmarks. These new standards will help to reduce the impact of distribution buildings on the environment. They will also protect the value of industrial investments in a future where sustainability will inevitably become an evermore pressing concern.

Many developments now claim to be sustainable and to offer energy and water savings. However, without a set of common measures it is impossible to evaluate how effective the various eco-initiatives really are.

To tackle this problem Gazeley helped to set up the UK Joint Developers Forum, where it has been joined by competitors ProLogis, Goodman, SEGRO (Helioslough) and Gladman.

The forum is chaired by Guy Battle of engineering consultancy Battle McCarthy, an expert in the field of sustainable construction. Since its first meeting a series of analyses have been conducted which are intended to shed light on green value. These show the impact of UK distribution buildings over their lifetimes in terms of CO2, waste, water use, biodiversity and pollution. This data will help to establish a set of measures so that investors and occupiers will know exactly how green their building is.

The green credentials of a building will also have an increasing impact on its investment value. Energy Performance Certificates to be introduced in 2008 under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will rate commercial buildings in a similar way to that which is already familiar for household appliances - marking them from A to G for energy efficiency.

As tighter regulation is introduced over coming years, buildings with higher ratings are likely to become a more valuable commodity for investors, letting quicker and on better terms as occupier demand for green buildings grows.

"Customers and Investors are likely to gravitate towards A or B rated stock and those developers not doing anything in the area of energy efficiency could drop off the bottom of the market", warns Jonathan Fenton-Jones.