Aripco Supercentre goes green

Charumini DE SILVA

Richard Peiris Distributors Ltd., unveiled the biggest green Arpico Supercentre in Wattala yesterday.

Speaking at the opening, Richard Peiris Distributed Ltd., CEO Andrew Dalby said Arpico Supercentres have revolutionized the supermarket industry in Sri Lanka leading the way with introducing the one-stop-shop concept. “Green Arpico Supercentre demonstrates the importance of the introduction of the green concept to the supermarkets in a practical manner.”

“We are glad that Richard Peiris Distributors Ltd., pave the way to the entire supermarket industry and other corporates in becoming eco-friendly with practical application”, he said. He said “As responsible citizens and businesses, it is our responsibility to safeguard the environment”. The Wattala Green Arpico Supercentre has been built with prismatic lighting combined with the enhanced use of daylight using transparent cladding and sun pipes in the roof. This minimizes the use of grid electricity thereby reducing the cost of electricity drastically.

The store also employs a rainwater harvesting system. The collected rainwater is then purified and conveyed to the lawn and for sanitary purposes.

These green concepts will be substantially reduced by source-separation of recyclable and compost material thereby, reducing the pressure for fire or landfill.

The company has also introduced an eco-privilege card made of corn starch to encourage the use of eco-friendly bags.

He said the eco-friendly concept helps to pass the benefits of low cost electricity to the customers with providing products at reasonable prices, while protecting the earth. The Green Arpico Supercentre consists of over 50,000 square feet with more than 45,000 products.