WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that its GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership with the supermarket industry now includes more than 6,500 stores in 47 states.
Launched in November 2007, the program is designed to reduce the use and emissions of ozone-depleting refrigerants in the nation’s grocery stores.
Last year, retailers in the program reduced their aggregate total refrigerant emissions by 8.5%. EPA officials estimate that if all U.S. supermarkets reduced emissions to the current GreenChill average, the nation could save the equivalent of 22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and 240 ozone-depleting potential tons each year — equal to the annual emissions from more than 4 million cars.
“This is the beginning of a partnership that is going to help us reduce significant amounts of ozone depleting refrigerant and other emissions, cut costs for supermarkets and consumers, and protect our health and the environment, “ said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “EPA will continue working to find a path forward that rewards the mutual interests of our supermarkets and the environmental health of the communities they serve."
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