AFF “Vœux du froid 2025”: A key event in the refrigeration industry

On January 16, 2025, the “Vœux du froid” event, hosted by the French Association of Refrigeration (AFF) at the Lycée Raspail’s amphitheatre in Paris, gathered industry experts, academia and partners to discuss the critical role of refrigeration in the energy transition.

 

Refrigeration accounts for approximately 15% of France’s total electricity consumption and is expected to continue growing, particularly due to rising temperatures and the increasing demand for services such as cooling in data centres. The discussion focused on how industry is addressing the new challenges and playing its part to align with the energy transition and environmental targets, developing and rolling out innovative solutions while ensuring business continuity.

 

The evening began with a welcome speech by Gérald Cavalier, President of the AFF, who also introduced the Lycée Raspail school and its refrigeration programmes.

 

The event then featured a roundtable discussion focused on the theme, “Refrigeration, an essential player in the energy transition,” featuring from the following panelists:

• Bertrand Bompas, President of La Chaîne Logistique du Froid
• Marco Duran-Herrera, Head of Policy and Global Partnerships at the International Institute of Refrigeration
• Noël Thiefine, General Delegate of Transfrigoroute France
• Karima Kaci, General Director of FIAC
• Gérald Cavalier, President of the AFF

 

 

The roundtable was moderated by Alison Paquette and covered several key topics:

• Looking back at 2024: Each network presented their main concerns regarding refrigeration in 2024, including the general awareness of refrigeration’s contribution to the economy, and industry’s challenges and achievements, such as the need to update regulations to keep pace with technological developments. Technological advancements with ammonia as a promising gas for the future of refrigeration were also discussed.
• Energy transition approaches: Specific questions were directed to each representative, addressing topics such as energy consumption in refrigerated logistics, the transition in refrigerated transport, and the impact of energy costs on small and medium-sized companies in the food industry.
• Proposals for advancing the energy transition: The panelists shared their networks’ proposals and demands to facilitate the energy transition while ensuring realistic operational success.
• Future actions for 2025: Each network outlined their planned studies, actions, and initiatives for the coming year to further the energy transition in refrigeration.

 

In his intervention, Marco Duran from the IIR, emphasised the need for capacity building and awareness to ensure the correct use and selection of technologies, taking environmental considerations into account. He also highlighted the importance of close collaboration with governments to develop supportive policies, such as national heat pump plans and fiscal incentives, to enhance industry competitiveness while addressing environmental challenges. Additionally, Marco Duran stressed the need to make the refrigeration sector more attractive to young people and women to secure a skilled workforce for the future.

 

 

The event also featured insights from industry sponsors, including:

• Bruno Etting, Director of Innovation at Chéreau
• Laurent Pépin, General Director of Mayekawa France
• Gilles Labranque, CEO of Sofrigam
• Yvan Le Picault, Executive at Syclef

The panel participants discussed their companies’ roles in the energy transition and shared their needs and expectations to successfully provide the market with equipment that meets the new energy challenges.

 

Conclusion

The “Vœux du froid 2025” event concluded with a networking cocktail, offering attendees the opportunity to exchange ideas and forge new connections. The event set the stage for continued collaboration and innovation in 2025. As Gérald Cavalier noted, the refrigeration industry must embrace renewable energy and green electricity to meet future demands, while also equipping the workforce to ensure the deployment of heat pumps in EU. The evening ended on a hopeful note, with a focus on the industry’s potential to lead in the global energy transition.