The major UK retailers have combined to challenge manufacturers of chilled and frozen display cabinets to find natural alternatives to environmentally-damaging HFC refrigerants.
An article in Convenience Store magazine suggests that the display cabinets “could become obsolete” in a few years, after the multiples made it clear at the RAC07 Exhibition that they are no longer willing to invest in equipment containing global-warming gases.
Representatives of Asda, M&S, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose united to make the challenge, amid concern that HFC refrigerants may be banned as early as 2015 under forthcoming legislation. Unless an alternative is unearthed in the interim period, the independent trade with no fallback on existing chiller equipment.
The article quotes Bob Arthur of M&S as saying: "We cannot invest in technology with an expected life span of 20 years or more when there is such a high degree of uncertainty over the long-term future of HFCs."
Tesco's Andy Campbell added: "Natural refrigerants are going to come. If you don't get up to speed on this you are going to lose out."
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