The forum set up a Resolution on Refrigeration board committee in 2010 to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants by 2015 and replace them with non-HFC refrigerants (natural refrigerant alternatives).
Refrigeration Booklet
Emma Coles, VP, Responsible Retailing, Albert Heijn and Royal Ahold, and Andre Fourie, senior manager, Environmental Value, SABMiller, who co-chair CGF’s Refrigeration Working Group, said it has now published its first-ever Refrigeration Booklet, which highlights case studies on how members are phasing out HFCs and successfully piloting and implementing natural refrigeration alternatives.
It has also called upon the CGF Sustainability Steering Committee to develop a potential resolution to show how the industry will further scale up low carbon refrigeration in the future.
“In 2010, the CGF made a commitment to tackle the growing climate impact of the refrigeration systems used by its members. The refrigerant gases used in the majority of systems (known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)) are powerful greenhouse gases,” said Ignacio Gavilan, director, Environmental Sustainability, CGF.
“This work has taught the industry valuable lessons about issues such as low carbon technology options; deployment costs; energy demands; performance in hotter climates; and the availability of skilled installers and maintenance engineers.”
“As the only organisation bringing consumer goods retailers and manufacturers together globally, we have been able to bring our members together to discuss the barriers and solutions to a faster and geographically wider uptake of natural refrigeration systems; help those that haven’t yet explored or invested in natural refrigeration systems to realise the benefits of doing so; and give suppliers confidence that the sector is interested in this technology.”
Heineken, SAB Miller, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlè, PepsiCo
The Refrigeration Booklet includes case studies from companies including Heineken, SAB Miller, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlè and PepsiCo.
Heineken developed the iCool fridge that is 70% more energy efficient than related beverage coolers from 2010. To make this innovation commercially attractive, a new manufacturer has acquired the concept to further develop the fridge and improve the cost structure.
Another example from the Heineken Company is David XL Green draught system. It claims David XL Green improves the overall serve quality of beer and results in a 50% lower energy consumption versus conventional draught systems.
At the RAC Cooling Industry Awards 2014, David XL Green was named winner of the ‘End User of the Year – Non-Supermarket’ category.
Jean-François Van Boxmeer, CEO, Heineken, said it started introducing the SmartDispense system across the UK in 2013. SmartDispense reduces the need for cellar cooling by cooling the beer as it leaves the keg, rather than cooling the surrounding environment.
It saves the average pub around 12,000 pints of water, 90 pints of cleaning chemical and £2,300 of product waste every year. It reduces a pub’s average energy use for cooling installations by 90%. This system is helping Heineken achieve this goal by reducing waste while giving customers incentives to grow their businesses in a sustainable way.
Nestlé first carbon dioxide/ammonia (CO2/NH3) cascades
Nestlé said it installed the first carbon dioxide/ammonia (CO2/NH3) cascades in the UK and US in 2003 and this technology became its standard worldwide for low temperature applications such as coffee freeze drying, frozen food manufacture and cold storage.
Paul Bulcke, CEO, Nestlé, said since 2010, it has introduced the use of hydrocarbons and CO2 systems for various cooling applications in factories, small distribution centres, R&D centres, offices and Nestlé Shops.
“More recently, in 2015, we inaugurated a carbon dioxide/ammonia cascade cold store in the Greater China Region,” he added.
“In 2013, we committed to buying only new horizontal ice cream chest freezers with natural refrigerants in Europe. And in 2014, we made this pledge global. This is the second stage in a wider process of making our entire fleet of freezers more cooled using natural refrigerants.
“At the end of 2014, all our new ice cream chest freezers in Europe used natural refrigerants. Our new ice cream chest freezers, which represent 70% of Nestlé’s total spend on freezers, now consume 50% less energy. By 2015 all of our new ice cream chest freezers worldwide will use natural refrigerants.”