Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, co-developed a round table event at the European Parliament on Advancing Food Loss Technologies and Policies. The round table, hosted by Member of the European Parliament Ms. Rosa D’Amato MEP and promoted in partnership with Sustainable Development Policy Institute Competere, addressed the global impact of food loss and the technologies and solutions required to reduce loss and waste across the food chain.
“We are very proud to have partnered on this event with Competere, as well as working with members of the European Commission, European Parliament and major cold chain partners,” said Claudio Zanframundo, president, Thermo King EMEA, Trane Technologies. “Globally, 30% of food is lost or wasted, while 1.3 billion people experience food insecurity. Having an efficient and sustainable cold chain makes a big difference in reducing food waste and putting food on tables across the world. That’s why it’s vital that policy makers and industry leaders connect regularly so we can move the needle on this important issue.”
The round table included discussions on European Union policies and strategies led by Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, Head of Unit DGSANTE of the European Commission and the causes of food loss and waste led by Associate Professor Gyula Kasza. Also taking part in the discussions were representatives from Copa Cogeca, the organization for farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU, leading European food manufacturers association FoodDrinkEurope, major European retail organization Schwarz Group and surplus food management app-based company Too Good To Go, and Safe Food Advocacy Europe (SAFE), an NGO focused on protecting EU food consumers.
Through dedicated and committed action, Trane Technologies is advancing its 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including the Gigaton Challenge – a pledge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons (or, one gigaton). This reduction equates to 2% of the world’s annual emissions – or, the annual emissions of Italy, France and the U.K. combined. The company has also pledged to be net-zero by 2050 and is first in industry to have its near and long-term emissions reduction targets externally validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
Trane Technologies is also leading by example in the electrification and decarbonization of the cold chain – helping customers transition to more sustainable fleet solutions while reducing their carbon footprints. In November 2023, it announced that it fulfilled its August 2021 commitment to deliver fully electric, zero direct emission Thermo King refrigeration solutions for every segment of the cold chain in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region by 2023.
