Consumer Goods Industry Calls for Positive Next Steps to Continue Scale-Up of Low Carbon Refrigeration

PARIS, January 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Consumer Goods Forum Successfully Closes Resolution on Refrigeration; Publishes Booklet Highlighting Natural Refrigeration Success Stories 

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) today announced the successful closing of its 2010 Board Resolution on Refrigeration and the publication of its first-ever Refrigeration Booklet. The CGF Board has also called on the Sustainability Steering Committee to develop a potential resolution to show how the industry will further scale up low carbon refrigeration in the future.

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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. At the time, the low carbon technologies to replace HFCs were unproven and so took the decision to commit to trialing new approaches to refrigeration by 2015.

Today, CGF members have installed low carbon refrigeration systems in over 4,000 supermarkets, four million ice cream and drinks chiller units worldwide and industrial plants with the majority being natural refrigerants. 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.

These learnings have been captured in the all-new Refrigeration Booklet, which highlights over a dozen real-life examples from the CGF's retailer and manufacturer members on how they are phasing out HFCs and successfully piloting and implementing natural refrigeration alternatives. The CGF applauds the engagement of its members on this critical issue and hopes the booklet will help inspire others to take up the baton.

Emma Coles, Vice President, Responsible Retailing at Albert Heijn and Royal Ahold, and Andre Fourie, Senior Manager, Environmental Value at SABMiller plc, Co-Chairs of CGF's Refrigeration Working Group, said, "The CGF has been a leading voice on phasing out harmful HFC refrigerants since 2010. And, although 2015 is now over, we remain committed to helping members amplify the impact of their solutions and in bringing the entire industry forward. With this in mind, the Board has called on the CGF's Sustainability team to look forward and discuss how best to drive scale-up beyond 2015, including the possibility of a new resolution".

The CGF also today published an updated version of its Climate Change Booklet, which includes over 20 examples of how members are making business changes to have a positive impact on the climate through various activities on food waste, recycling, sustainable sourcing and energy efficiency.

About The Consumer Goods Forum 

The Consumer Goods Forum  (CGF) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs.

For more information, please visit: http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com

SOURCE The Consumer Goods Forum