Aeon to open eco-outlet near summit location

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Major retailer Aeon Co said Wednesday it will employ cutting-edge environmentally friendly technologies at its large shopping complex in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, in order to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Aeon will open the refurbished outlet on July 3 with the aim of attracting the attention of many people involved in the Group of Eight summit, which is to be held in the nearby lakeside town of Toyako on July 7-9.

Annual carbon dioxide emissions at the Tomakomai complex are 20%, or some 3,000 tons, less than those at conventional outlets, the largest reduction in the Aeon group.

The new outlet will have sophisticated systems such as solar power generation, air conditioning through the use of air cooled by pipes buried underground, and energy-saving freezer storage.

While Aeon has been newly opening such environmentally friendly outlets in Aichi, Chiba, Osaka and Kagoshima Prefectures since 2005, the company hopes to step up efforts to make its existing outlets more eco-friendly.