Briefs: HFC-free refrigeration, naturally

Three more companies have joined Refrigerants, Naturally!, a unique public-private partnership that promotes HFC-free refrigeration technologies that protect the Earth's climate and ozone layer for "point-of-sale" applications. The founding members — McDonald's,The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever — are now joined by Carlsberg, IKEA and PepsiCo. UNEP and Greenpeace are "supporters" of this partnership, which is recognized by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and which has received an USEPA Climate Protection Award. All members are committed to: a timeline governing their shift to HFC-free technology; funding and providing human resources for R&D; sharing non-commercial information related to environmentally friendly technologies among themselves; and sharing data and results with external stakeholders, such as their wider supply chain, industry peer groups, government decision-makers, and the public.