Carrier Transicold, part of Carrier Global Corporation, and the Greener Reefers in International Maritime Transport initiative of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have agreed to collaborate to advance cold chain development and training in Costa Rica and South Africa.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusses on providing training to technicians for refrigerated containers using natural refrigerants, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). The in-person training in Costa Rica and South Africa, as well as virtual training, will focus on sustainable refrigeration solutions and energy optimisation.
The initiative supports Carrier’s focus on expanding the cold chain, which can help improve health outcomes and reduce hunger, food insecurity and carbon emissions.
“We are excited to be a part of the Greener Reefers in International Maritime Transport project, and as an industry leader, we are pleased to educate others on the use of natural refrigerant-based technology such as our NaturaLINE™ unit, which incorporates CO2 in place of conventional synthetic refrigerants,” said Vineet Kashyap, vice president and general manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold.
Approximately 1.5 million reefer containers that are vital for trading chilled and frozen products are currently shipped around the world, and this number is growing annually. Refrigerated boxes contribute notably to the emissions released by the container shipping industry, with the reefer sector projected to continue growing in line with global demand for perishable goods such as food and medicine.
“These are exciting times, where we are moving the needle on climate progress. In October, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration and GIZ agreed to set up the first regional CO2 transcritical supermarket training center in East Africa,” noted Philipp Denzinger, project manager of GIZ Proklima. “We are now signing a memorandum of understanding with Carrier Transicold to promote sustainable reefer solutions, as well as improve the energy efficiency of the maritime shipping sector.”
