Manufacturers and end users of natural refrigerants broadly welcomed the historic climate agreement reached among nearly 200 countries at COP21 in Paris last weekend (12 December). They see business opportunities in delivering a zero-emission economy and in reducing HFC use to help keep the global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius.
French food retail giant Carrefour set the stage for a broad discussion during its ‘Innovation Forum’ about competition between natural systems, the trend towards smaller stores, and the need for integrated HVAC&R solutions.
Delegates attending UNFCCC climate talks in Paris clinched a historic deal this weekend (12 December), uniting all the world’s nations in a single agreement to tackle climate change for the first time. The consensus, reached among nearly 200 countries at COP21 in Paris, aims to keep the global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius. Wider use of natural refrigerants could help to deliver that target.
At Supermercados Hiber, energy efficiency and environment are key players in the company’s decisions. In 2012, Hiber had the first store in Spain using only CO2 as refrigerant and in 2014 made history with the first Spanish urban CO2 transcritical store.
Regie des transport de Marseille (RTM) is moving to phase out R134a in its mobile air conditioning, running tests using CO2 on two of its new buses in 2015. German manufacturer Konvekta is now bringing its proven MAC technology from the domestic market and Poland, to France.
According to a new report by Carrier Commercial Refrigeration almost two-thirds of large supermarkets from North and West European countries now use natural refrigerants in their stores, a trend driven by company-wide sustainability policies, and one that is outpacing EU legislation. The study, developed in partnership with market development company shecco, seeks to provide a clear picture of the key drivers for and against the adoption of sustainable refrigeration and refrigerant options.
