The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has released its 2024 Impact Report, outlining key developments in its Climate Campaign targeting HFC emissions and enforcement gaps in the refrigeration sector. The Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit assessed regulatory progress, corporate practices, and international efforts to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), citing them as potent greenhouse gases used primarily in cooling and heating.
Among the report’s highlights is the third edition of EIA’s Climate-Friendly Supermarkets Scorecard, which evaluated 16 major U.S. chains on their refrigerant management. Only three received passing scores. ALDI stood out by committing to transition all its U.S. stores to natural refrigerants by 2035, the first such pledge in the sector.
EIA noted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s adoption of a new rule to reduce HFC use in refrigeration and air conditioning. The regulation promotes leak prevention, reuse, and penalties, which the organization views as a model for global HFC controls.
In enforcement, Gristedes, a major supermarket chain in New York, was found responsible for HFC emissions violations and agreed to pay a US$400,000 civil penalty along with committing to extensive system repairs. Additionally, EIA released findings from field investigations at 28 supermarkets in Northern California, including Walmart, Safeway, and Save Mart, revealing that 50% were leaking HFCs. The organization called for stricter enforcement and a shift to natural refrigerants.
Internationally, EIA reported on refrigerant use at UN Climate Change Conference venues, including COP29 in Baku. Their findings showed continued reliance on high-global warming potential gases such as R410A and HCFC-22, with estimated emissions equivalent to burning 1,220 tons of coal. EIA urged the host country to ratify the Kigali Amendment and called on the UNFCCC to mandate climate-friendly cooling at future events.
The organization also published policy briefings ahead of the 36th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, highlighting unregulated nitrous oxide emissions, HFC-23 discrepancies, and risks posed by carbon trading to existing ozone and HFC policies.
At Climate Week NYC, EIA emphasized the need for regulatory action on industrial nitrous oxide emissions, which remain largely unaddressed despite the availability of cost-effective reduction technologies.
“Our work shows that supermarkets, regulators, and international institutions must urgently prioritize climate-safe refrigerants and enforce leak prevention,” said EIA Climate Campaign Director (quoted in the EPA announcement).
