UK supermarkets including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose are leading the charge away from harmful refrigerants toward more natural alternatives, with Aldi Sud and Coop Schweiz impressing in Europe.
A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency launched this week, analysed the efforts of 21 European supermarket chains to phase out the use of HFCs.
HFC is a potent greenhouse gas, found in refrigerators, air conditioners, foam and aerosols, responsible for about two per cent of GHG emissions in Europe.
Despite limited government regulation on HFCs, the report found UK retailers are still leading the way in developing and rolling out HFC-free technologies. M&S, Waitrose, Co-Op, Tesco and Waitrose were among the seven chains named as "an EIA Green Cooling Leader".
Tesco, for example, has 149 HFC-free systems in stores across the globe, while all of its new larger format stores in the UK and about one-third of smaller Express stores are being fitted with natural refrigeration systems. All smaller stores have doors on fridges fitted as standard.
Waitrose said its HFC-free fridges had improved performance and delivered energy savings of around 20 per cent. The company aims to fit HFC-free fridges across all its operations by 2021.
Meanwhile, M&S has seen a 47 per cent drop in HFC emissions companied to last year after converting 76 stores to alternative hybrid fridges. It aims to banish HFC use by 2030.
The report was published days after the G20 agreed to use the resources of the Montreal Protocol to phase-down HFCs and as the European Union debates new rules to cut HFC emissions. It shows that many supermarket chains remain ahead of the curve.
