Coke opting for HFC-free cooling systems
[ added 4 December, 2009 ]
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The Coca-Cola Company takes the lead in the commercial HFC-free refrigeration by investing into natural refrigerants. The company commits to having new cooling equipment 100% HFC-free by 2015.
In close cooperation with its bottlers, Coco-Cola will gradually phase out hydrofluorocarbons(HFC)-based refrigeration systems and replace them with new HFC-free vending machines and coolers, setting a new trend for climate friendly refrigeration in the food and beverage industry. The new cooling equipment will be mainly carbon-based, using hydrocarbons for smaller equipment and CO2 for larger equipment. The company made the announcement yesterday in a press conference organised by Coca Cola in cooperation with Greenpeace International and Greenpeace USA. The company counts 10 million units of refrigeration equipment in use which together emit 53 million metric tons of CO2e, the equivalent of 11 million cars’ emissions per year. HFCs are partially blamed for the climate change and estimated to make up to 28 -45 % of all carbon emissions by 2050. The HFC-based cooling equipment currently in use accounts for 40% of Coca-Cola’s carbon footprint. The transition to HFC-free, carbon-based refrigeration will reduce Coca-Cola’s cooling equipment's direct greenhouse gas emissions by 99% and improve its energy efficiency by 15%.
Concretely, Coca-Cola and its partners committed to eliminate HFCs from new cooling equipment so that:
- 50% of their new vending machines and coolers will be HFC-free by 2012
- 100% of their new vending machines and coolers will be HFC-free by 2015
The move to green solutions for Coca-Cola’s cooling systems is a direct result of the partnership with Greenpeace that has started in 2000 and that has seen Greenpeace advising Coca Cola on economically viable and environmentally sustainable cooling technologies.
Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of Coke, is convinced that other companies will follow as soon as Coca-Cola proofs the economic viability of cooling systems based on natural refrigerants. An industry-wide adoption of natural refrigeration technologies will not only have an impact on the fight against global warming but also bring down the prices of the equipment, making it increasingly price competitive. In this vein, Coca Cola and other corporate partners with the support of Greenpeace have joined forces under “Refrigerants Naturally!”, a campaign promoting the phase-out of ozone layer depleting fluorinated gases.
Gerd Leipold, former Executive Director of Greenpeace International, underlined the importance of inciting CEOs to become climate champions and to drive the use of natural refrigerants from an economic perspective. He underlined that strong industry commitment will drive market development. Ideally, the climate negotiations in Copenhagen will lead to international agreements that reward companies investing heavily in climate friendly technologies and hence increase the economic incentive to the benefit of natural refrigerants.
BeyondHFCs welcomes the “HFC-free” commitment made by this major industry player and confirms the growing importance of using HFC-free technology to cover the refrigeration needs of the food and drinks industries worldwide. In order to effectively fight against global warming substances used in refrigeration equipment, BeyondHFCs reiterates its warning against the next generation of HFCs, called HFOs. Indeed, industry players committing to HFC-free technologies to be used in their equipment should refrain from implementing HFOs whose environmental impact is still subject to uncertainty. Natural refrigerants should prevail in this context thanks to their environmentally friendly credentials.
You can view the original news release by clicking here.
