5.21.2008 - 01:30pm ET

(CSRwire) MORRIS, Ill., May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ProLogis (NYSE: PLD), the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, and Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT), one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, announced today that an 800,000-square-foot building near Chicago developed by ProLogis has been recognized for advanced environmental design by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a building industry nonprofit group that promotes sustainable development.
The distribution center, located in Morris, Ill., was completed in the first half of 2007 and is currently leased to Kraft. Together, the companies recently completed building improvements under the USGBC's "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" (LEED) for Commercial Interiors (CI) certification program. The building is now LEED-CI Gold certified and is the largest facility of its kind in the world to achieve this certification.
Kraft currently leases approximately 3.2 million square feet from ProLogis at locations throughout North America. This building is the company's first distribution center to receive LEED certification.
"We are thrilled to announce our first LEED-certified distribution facility," said David Klavsons, vice president, logistics for Kraft. "This is a great accomplishment for our company and provides tremendous momentum for our future sustainability initiatives. We have a longstanding relationship with ProLogis and, by leveraging their expertise in green construction practices, the company has added an even higher value to our partnership."
"The improvements made to the building in collaboration with Kraft helped it become our third distribution facility in the U.S. to receive LEED certification, and we are excited about the incitement it gives our green building efforts," said Jack Rizzo, managing director of global construction at ProLogis. "With nine additional warehouses currently submitted for certification review and 8.3 million square feet in the U.S. under design or construction to meet LEED standards, ProLogis continues to demonstrate its commitment to becoming the global leader in sustainable warehouse construction."
The Kraft facility is located at ProLogis Park 80, a 168-acre distribution park one mile north of the I-80 interchange, a major east/west highway corridor. This is the first building in the park, which has additional land available to support up to 2.1 million square feet of additional development. Specific elements of environmental design employed in the Kraft building include:

-- Energy-efficient fluorescent lighting with multi-level lighting
controls, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in lighting energy usage;
-- HVAC ventilation system that improves air quality and reduces power
consumption by 40 percent;
-- Extensive use of recycled and locally sourced materials during
construction, with nearly 100 percent of construction debris diverted
to recycling centers rather than landfills;
-- Use of wood-based construction materials harvested from Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests totaling nearly 80 percent;
and,
-- Interior paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants with low volatile
organic compounds (VOC) emission levels.


Total Logistics Control, a third party distribution services provider, operates the facility for Kraft, handling day-to-day inbound and outbound logistics for numerous well-known Kraft products.
"We value our longstanding relationship with Kraft and are happy to meet their distribution needs in the I-80 submarket of Chicago," said Doug Kiersey, ProLogis senior vice president and Midwest regional director. "This area is quickly becoming defined as a top location for regional and national bulk distribution."
ProLogis is one of the largest providers of industrial space in the Chicago metro area, with a platform of more than 112 facilities and 26 million square feet owned, managed or under development. ProLogis customers in this market include APL Logistics, Anixter, Clorox, Kuehne + Nagel and UPS Supply Chain Services.

About ProLogis

ProLogis is the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, with operations in 121 markets across North America, Europe and Asia. The company has $38.8 billion of assets owned, managed and under development, comprising 526.3 million square feet (48.9 million square meters) in 2,817 properties as of March 31, 2008. ProLogis' customers include manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, ProLogis employs over 1,500 people worldwide. For additional information about the company, go to http://www.prologis.com.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2007 revenues of more than $37 billion. For more than 100 years, Kraft has offered consumers delicious and wholesome foods that fit the way they live. Kraft markets a broad portfolio of iconic brands in more than 150 countries, including nine brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion: Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats; Philadelphia cream cheese; Maxwell House coffee; Nabisco cookies and crackers and its Oreo brand; Jacobs coffees, Milka chocolates and LU biscuits. Kraft is listed in the Standard & Poor's 100 and 500 indexes. The company is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.kraft.com.

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