Virtual summit to address climate-damaging refrigerants

A free virtual summit in October will highlight solutions to climate-damaging refrigerants.

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a Mill Valley, Calif.-based environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, has opened registration for its Sustainable Refrigeration Summit.  The event is scheduled for Oct. 24-28.

“We have a huge opportunity to solve one of the biggest environmental problems facing supermarkets,” said Danielle Wright, NASRC executive director. 

The summit sessions will address the latest regulatory and industry trends, natural technologies, and the benefits and challenges of adopting sustainable solutions. Attendees will hear directly from the supermarkets, industry experts and policymakers shaping the future of sustainable refrigeration.

Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) are super-polluting greenhouse gases (GHGs) commonly used in supermarket refrigeration. They are the world’s fastest-growing GHGs and one of the most potent drivers of climate change.

Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, federal regulations will phase down HFC refrigerant emissions by 85% by 2036, with several states also developing HFC regulations.

As a result, supermarkets and other retailers face tremendous pressure to transition from high global warming HFCs to climate-friendly alternatives. Natural refrigerants, including ammonia, CO2, and propane, have zero or near-zero global warming potential and are considered future-proof from a regulatory standpoint. However, unique market barriers have prevented widespread adoption in U.S. supermarkets.

“This is one of the rare climate issues where the technology solution exists today,” said Wright. “To overcome the challenges and make meaningful progress, we need all hands on deck, and that’s what this summit is designed to do.

For more information on the upcoming summit, go to sustainablerefrigeration.com.

NASRC collaborates with stakeholders from across the industry, including more than 38,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets.