Sustainability and Energy Efficiency

What is meant by “a sustainable cold chain” and how does it reduce food loss?

A cold chain is a connected set of temperature-controlled facilities (primary production, food manufacturing facilities, cold stores, refrigerated transportation, etc.) that ensures perishable foods maintain their freshness and quality while in transit. Access to cold chain allows local producers to link with high-value markets locally, nationally and internationally. By enabling perishable food commodities to be stored and transported in a temperature-controlled environment not only ensures quality and safety, but reduces overall food loss, while improving economic gains and increasing sustainability.

From an environmental perspective, it is important that increasing demand for cold chain is sustainable with increased use of green fuels, energy efficiency and low or zero global warming potential technologies.

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EU Climate and Energy Targets

The EU in its fight against climate change has implemented and proposed ambitious policies for its Member States as well as on the international stage. The EU considers the transition to a climate-neutral society as both an urgent challenge and an opportunity to build a better future for all.
Key EU climate and energy targets are set in the 2020 climate and energy package. 
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Climate Action: Key EU policies

EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, industry and flights within the EU.
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Energy efficiency in cold stores

In the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive, the EU set a 20% energy savings target by 2020 (when compared to the projected use of energy in 2020). 

In December 2018, the revised Energy Efficiency Directive entered into force updating some specific provisions and introducing new elements. Above all, it establishes a headline EU energy efficiency target for 2030 of at least 32.5% (compared to projections), with a clause for a possible upwards revision by 2023. 

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Refrigerants incl. F-Gas

Fluorinated gases (‘F-gases’) are a family of man-made gases used in a range of industrial applications. The EU is taking regulatory action to control F-gases as part of its policy to combat climate change.

F-gases are often used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances, because they do not damage the atmospheric ozone layer. However, F-gases are powerful greenhouse gases, with a global warming effect up to 23 000 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2). Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are by far the most relevant F-gas group from a climate perspective. F-gases are used in several types of products and appliances, mainly as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and halons which are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol and EU legislation. 

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Expert Group Member

A Consultation Forum is mandated by the F-gas Regulation. Its mission is to provide advice and expertise to the Commission in relation to the implementation of the F-gas Regulation. In particular with regard to the availability of alternatives to fluorinated greenhouse gases, including the environmental, technical, economic and safety aspects of their use.

The Forum consists of experts from national authorities, transnational industry associations, NGOs and international organisations. Representatives of single companies or associations of a single country are not invited to the group. Additional experts may be invited on an ad hoc basis according to the topics to be discussed at the relevant meeting.

The Forum is a permanent expert group of the European Commission. The Commission calls meetings when technical input from stakeholders is required for the implementation of the F-gas Regulation.

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Relevant Legislation

The current F-gas Regulation, which applies since 1 January 2015, replaces the original F-gas Regulation adopted in 2006. The implementing Regulations of the original Regulation remain in force and continue to apply until new acts are adopted.

The current Regulation strengthened the previous measures and introduced far-reaching changes by:

  • Limiting the total amount of the most important F-gases that can be sold in the EU from 2015 onwards and phasing them down in steps to one-fifth of 2014 sales in 2030. This will be the main driver of the move towards more climate-friendly technologies;
  • Banning the use of F-gases in many new types of equipment where less harmful alternatives are widely available, such as fridges in homes or supermarkets, air conditioning and foams and aerosols;
  • Preventing emissions of F-gases from existing equipment by requiring checks, proper servicing and recovery of the gases at the end of the equipment’s life.

These measures were built on the successful phase-out of ozone-depleting substances. Due to the measures of the F-gas Regulation, the EU’s F-gas emissions will be cut by two-thirds by 2030 compared with 2014 levels.

Topics

Food Safety

Sustainability

Food Waste

Logistics