The international non-food-discounter Action took a further step on its way towards a circular economy. One important aspect of that is the company’s approach to replacing its combustion heating systems with low-carbon heat pumps, and reclaiming refrigerant gas from its refurbished stores to be reused in newly built stores. Thanks to the L∞P by Daikin program, new Action stores will fully support a circular economy of refrigerants: instead of producing more waste by disposing of the old refrigerant and producing something new, they will reuse what is available.
In partnership with Daikin, Action has successfully reused 312.27kg of allocated refrigerant gas in 15 stores across Europe, in 2020. The two companies set up their collaboration in early 2019 with one common goal: reducing the environmental impact and supporting a circular economy. After their initial success, Action has included this initiative as part of their Action Social Responsibility strategy and is aiming to continue to grow its collaboration with Daikin in 2021, aiming to collect refrigerant gas from approximately 40 stores.
How does the L∞P by Daikin program work?
The L∞P by Daikin program recovers refrigerants from existing systems and up-cycles (or reclaims) them to virgin quality. Refrigerants are no longer treated as waste, but they are reused in new Daikin systems that are offered to the network of customers, like Action.
Daikin certifies - endorsed by an external audit - that the quantity of refrigerant recovered from Action stores matches the quantity of refrigerant used in new certified stores. In this way, Action is assured of both the quality and quantity of the reclaimed refrigerant used in their stores.
Working together for a sustainable future
Action proves that offering products at low prices does not exclude being environmentally and socially conscious. Thanks to the collaboration with Daikin, new Action stores will support the approach towards a circular economy, reducing the environmental impact and avoiding the production of new refrigerants.
The L∞P by Daikin program fits perfectly into the ambitions of the European Green Deal Circular Economy Action Plan, which is aimed to reduce waste and material use throughout Europe. By partnering with Daikin and the L∞P by Daikin program, Action proves that retailers are perfectly capable of becoming more sustainable every day. Michiel Coolen, Action Group Construction Manager: “We are now seeing the impact of our partnership with Daikin. Collecting over 300kg of refrigerant gas from more than 70% of our refurbished stores in 2020 is an absolute success. We are therefore excited to continue our collaboration and intensify our activities to include more stores in this program in the coming years, and create a closed circle of refrigerant use within the Action network.”
Mr. Toshitaka Tsubouchi, Vice-president of Daikin Europe: “The key principles of the L∞P by Daikin program are simple, but its contribution to the environment is massive. Our program eliminates the production of 250,000kg of virgin refrigerant annually, by giving Europeans access to recovered and reclaimed refrigerant. We are glad that a company like Action discovered and integrated our program in their own processes and we hope to inspire many others to make the same positive choice and to help us to recover the huge quantity of available refrigerant in existing installations.”
L∞P by Daikin paves the way to a sustainable future
Daikin regards the program as a part of their road to achieving their own Environmental Vision 2050. It pledges to reduce the environmental footprint while striving to reduce CO2 emissions to near zero. In order to achieve this, a circular economy, innovation and smart use are the stepping-stones on Daikin’s path. The program is a perfect example of a circular economy, leveraging the entire Daikin ecosystem and its business partners across Europe. L∞P by Daikin also illustrates how the HVAC industry can take action and offer customers a sustainable choice for their heating and cooling systems.
