Ben & Jerry's - Environmental - HC Freezer Technology
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Q — Why is Ben & Jerry’s introducing ice cream freezer cabinets with a different refrigerant? A — Ben & Jerry’s is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. One area of focus has been the potential effects of refrigerants on the ozone layer and global warming if accidentally released to the atmosphere. Freezer cabinet technology using Hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants is used around the globe that virtually eliminates the environmental impact due to refrigerants. This technology is not yet allowed in the US. Ben & Jerry’s is working with the US EPA to seek approval for this technology in the US. The EPA has approved a trial and Ben & Jerry’s will be testing these ice cream cabinets over the next two years. In 2000 Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever stated that it will only purchase ice cream cabinets using refrigerants with zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and negligible Global Warming Potential (GWP) where commercially viable and legally allowed. Once approval of this technology can be established in the US, Ben & Jerry’s will be able to meet this commitment as well. Q — What does ODP and GWP mean? A — ODP is the measure of the effect of a material on the ozone layer, the lower the number, the less the effect on reducing the ozone layer is. An ODP of zero has no effect on the ozone layer. GWP is a measure of the effect of a material on global warming (also known as climate change). Refrigerants like Hydrocarbons (HCs) have an almost negligible effect on Global Warming. Both measures are recognised methods of assessing a material’s effect on the environment. Q — What is an HC gas? A — Outside of the US, hydrocarbons like propane and butane have been used as refrigerants for many years. We have chosen to use propane, as the preferred refrigerant for our freezers. Nearly 300 million domestic fridges and freezers with HC refrigerants have already been sold in Europe.1 HC refrigerants are also a key component of the ‘Greenfreeze’ program being run by Greenpeace. Q — Are there any other advantages of HC refrigerants? A — Under the conditions that our cabinets run at, hydrocarbons are more efficient refrigerants than the most commonly used refrigerant class, HFCs. Market trials have shown that cabinets using propane refrigerants were on average 10 percent more energy efficient under comparable conditions than HFCs.2 This benefit will depend on use conditions, so it is not a ‘guaranteed’ benefit, but less electrical energy consumption means lower CO2 emissions and less global warming. We expect to see equal or better energy efficiency compared to HFC, based on available performance data. Q — If this freezer cabinet technology is used elsewhere in the world, why is Ben & Jerry’s just getting around to using it? A — The use of freezers that utilize hydrocarbon refrigerants is not currently allowed in the US. To date, no one has successfully petitioned the US EPA to allow the use of this technology. Drawing in part on the extensive safety data and commercial experience with HC freezing technology in Europe, Ben & Jerry’s submitted a SNAP (Significant New Alternative Policy) to the US EPA in 2008. This program is designed to evaluate and regulate alternative substances to replace the ozone-depleting chemicals being phased out under the Clean Air Act. Q — Will Ben & Jerry’s’ be replacing all of its cabinets? A — Yes, but it will take some time and will be dependent on EPA approval. To immediately replace all the ice cream cabinets in our US ice cream business (100,000+) would be prohibitively expensive as well as logistically very difficult. Replacing existing cabinets with more environmentally friendly ones on a normal wear and tear program will allow an almost complete HC fleet in 8 to 10 years. Q — Propane is flammable; does that mean that the cabinets are dangerous? A — The cabinets are not dangerous when used for the purpose intended and following the operating guidance which has been thoroughly evaluated to ensure it is clear and practical. Independent studies3 have been commissioned to assess the risks involved with using propane in HC cabinets. On the basis of these studies, functional specifications have been issued to cabinet suppliers to ensure safe operation and maintenance. Training material for maintenance providers has been prepared so that the new cabinets will serviced and maintained safely. In August 2008, the HC cabinets used in our test market received Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) approval. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that tests products and writes standards for safety. Q — What is the likelihood of an accident? A — As indicated above, outside of the US, HC refrigerants have wide application in household appliances and, there have been no recorded incidents of injury attributed to HC gases in domestic refrigeration equipment. Additionally, Unilever has extensively tested and monitored its 270,000 HC cabinets already in place in Europe, Asia and Latin America. There have been no recorded incidents. Ignition can only occur if the correct ratio of propane and air is in the presence of an ignition source. Q — How will you ensure accidents do not happen? A — First, the cabinets are manufactured to stringent standards. Additionally, as part of our cabinet roll-out procedures we are providing clear guidelines on how the maintenance responsibilities should be managed and training provided. An important part is to ensure that these responsibilities are understood and accepted. These are normal good practice points, so we are confident the introductions can be well handled. Service technicians in the DC and Boston areas have already been trained prior to this trial introduction. Q — What is the safety record of hydrocarbon in refrigeration? A — Hydrocarbons are widely used as a refrigerant. First introduced into the European market in the mid 1990’s, there are now nearly 300 million domestic refrigerators using hydrocarbons in Europe. Ice cream cabinets and domestic refrigerators and freezers all use essentially the same technology. Across all this experience there have been no reported safety incidents to suggest this technology is unsafe. Ben & Jerry’s will only place HC cabinets which have been designed specifically for use with hydrocarbons. Q — Why is Ben & Jerry’s taking the lead in launching HC freezer cabinets in the US? A — The United States is among the last of the major industrialized nations to approve the use of HC freezing technology. People all over the world can purchase freezers and refrigerator for their homes and businesses that make use of the positive environmental advantages provided by hydrocarbon refrigerants. As part of its commitment to reduce its global warming impact, Ben & Jerry’s is proceeding with petitioning the US EPA to allow the use of this technology for limited applications in the US. Q — How many freezer cabinets are there in the US? A — Ben & Jerry’s is part of an ice cream distribution system that has over 100,000 ice cream cabinets across the US. Q — How are the new cabinets identified? A — For the maintenance and servicing teams there is clear technical identification on the back of each cabinet. For consumers the cabinets can be identified with the Ben & Jerry’s “Cleaner Greener Freezer” logo. Q — Do the new freezers cost more? A — There is no significant upcharge for a hydrocarbon cabinet over the cost of an HFC cabinet. As hydrocarbon cabinets are about 10% more energy efficient, they will cost less to operate over the lifetime of the appliance. Q — Why are you linking with Greenpeace on this launch? A — Ben & Jerry’s has been involved with alternative refrigeration as a means of eliminating HFCs since 1999. Greenpeace has been a global leader in addressing the environmental impact of commercial refrigerants since the early 1990’s. In 1992-3 Greenpeace initiated the development of Greenfreeze technology. In 1996 Greenpeace received the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Ozone award for making this technology freely available to the world, where legally permitted. In 2004, after consultation with Greenpeace, Ben & Jerry’s teamed with Penn State University to develop Thermoacoustic refrigeration, another alternative freezing technology that aims to eliminate HFC refrigerants (more details provided below). Ben & Jerry’s continues to work regularly with the ‘Refrigerants, Naturally!’ initiative, a consortium of end users, the UNEP and Greenpeace that is focused on reducing the impact of point of sale equipment on our environment. Q — You talk about sharing knowledge. What are you willing to share? A — An important aspect of this technology is that it is not patented, so is freely available. Other business or industries are free to use the same suppliers as we do or select other suppliers. In this way there are no barriers to the broader use of this technology arising from patents. We are also trying to share our approach to introducing this technology so that other businesses who want to implement this or similar technology will have guidance to do so. Q — How does Hydrocarbon freezing fit with earlier efforts by Ben & Jerry’s with Thermoacoustic Refrigeration? A — In 2002 Ben & Jerry’s partnered with Penn State researchers to develop a freezer cabinet that used sound waves to create cooling. In 2004 the first Thermacoustic freezer cabinet was introduced proving this technology could be applied to commercial cooling. The goal of this work, like our HC refrigeration work, was to develop an alternative to conventional refrigeration that relied on HFC gases. Thermoacoustics used sound waves, together with naturally occurring gases like helium to create cooling, eliminating the need for HFCs. Since 2005, Thermoacoustic Corporation has acquired the rights to this technology and has been actively pursuing commercial application of it. While we eagerly anticipate the day when this technology is commercially available, Ben & Jerry’s is currently pursuing a different path to the same goal of reducing HFCs in our business by introducing hydrocarbon freezers. Ben & Jerry’s continues to stay in touch with Thermoacoustic Corp and looks forward to opportunities for future application of this exciting technology in our business.
1 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, UNEP, 2006 REPORT OF THE REFRIGERATION, AIR CONDITIONING AND HEAT PUMPS TECHNICAL OPTIONS COMMITTEE, page 66, table 3.1. |
