70% more efficiency in point-of-sale freezers: Unilever’s ground-breaking technology

Unilever, owner of a number of recognised ice cream brands and well known for its contributions to the fight against climate change, announced earlier this month that its scientists have developed improved technology for point-of-sale freezers that has the potential to reduce energy by 70% compared to its 2008 baseline, making them 20% more efficient than the current technology.

 

As a member of Refrigerants, Naturally!, an organisation focused on replacing f-gases with only natural refrigerants, particularly in plug-in point-of-sale refrigeration equipment, as well as the Consumer Goods Forum, Unilever has dedicated time and energy to creating more energy efficient units to reduce the indirect impacts of its refrigeration equipment as well. The company announced this month that its refrigeration technology has been improved to reach energy savings topping current equipment by 20%.

 

 

The company says the new and improved freezers energy reduction achievements will result in CO₂ savings equivalent to removing half a million cars from the road and energy savings equivalent to powering nearly a quarter million homes. 

 

To date, most of the efficiency improvements delivered by Unilever cabinets stem from improved insulation, high efficiency compressors and LED lighting. The company’s new redesigned cooling units will of course secure the optimal temperature for preserving its frozen delights but will also deliver increased reliability, ease of use and overall money savings for retailers alongside increased energy efficiency. These new developments fall under the company’s Sustainable Living Plan, which aims to double the size of its business while significantly reducing its environmental impact, in conjunction with its commitments to the Consumer Goods Forum and Refrigerants, Naturally!.

 

 

Unilever’s vision is to double the size of its business whilst reducing its environmental impact and increasing its positive social impact. Within this vision, the company is committed to halving the greenhouse gas footprint of its products by 2020. The company actively rolls out greener freezers using hydrocarbons as the refrigerant. By the end of 2012, the company had purchased more than 1.28 million hydrocarbon cabinets, nearly meeting its 2015 goal of 1.3 million. Unilever has even launched hydrocarbon cabinets in the US under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.