êffecterra, a global consulting firm providing technical solutions to sustainability challenges, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) as a Platinum Member.
The firm, which also has an office in London, helps companies establish and achieve their corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. They work with organizations to reduce their carbon footprint by addressing existing infrastructure assets, designing, developing, and deploying optimized solutions and advising on the maintenance of those systems. The firm has assisted companies across localities and industries to identify opportunities to reduce their environmental impact in many areas, with a specialization in refrigerant management and refrigeration and HVAC technologies.
“The necessity for a carbon negative future simply isn’t possible without addressing refrigerants. Natural refrigerants aren’t the sole solution, but they are a critical and unfortunately underutilized mechanism that should and can be leveraged whenever and wherever possible. Refrigeration, be it supermarket or otherwise, is a prime opportunity for naturals like CO2”, shares êffecterra’s co-founder and chief operating officer, Tristam Coffin.
NASRC’s mission has become increasingly important amidst global efforts to transition away from HFCs, which are super-polluting greenhouse gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere at thousands of times the rate of CO2. Policymakers around the world have begun to view the shift away from HFCs in supermarkets as low-hanging fruit to achieve targets for reducing GHG emissions.
In the US, the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act has directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase down production and consumption of HFCs in the United States by 85% by 2036. This mirrors the global efforts reflected in the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The AIM Act will also facilitate the transition to next-generation refrigeration technologies and establish requirements for the management and reclamation of refrigerants.
Addressing the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets is a critical step to ease the burden of new regulatory pressures and accelerate the transition to natural refrigerants, and NASRC is leading the charge in partnership with the industry.
“Our mission is a collective approach to joining talent and technology to provide action, not just advice, to accelerate climate solutions globally, at scale and pace,” shares êffecterra’s co-founder, President and former NASRC board member Michael May. “Like the NASRC, we believe sustainable refrigeration solutions, specifically natural refrigerant technologies, must be accelerated to combat climate change.”
