EPA Honors GreenChill Participants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has singled out 13 grocers for their achievements in protecting the environment through refrigerant management.

“We applaud the supermarket chains for their environmental leadership in minimizing refrigerant emissions and their adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies,” said Anne Isdal, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, in Washington, D.C. “They’re not just protecting the environment; they’re keeping costs down for themselves and their customers.”

Over the past decade, participation in EPA’s GreenChill Program, which encourages reductions in refrigerant leaks that can have costly impacts for supermarkets, has risen from 4,500 stores to more than 11,000 stores nationwide, representing about 29% of the U.S. supermarket industry. GreenChill Partners emit at least 65% less refrigerant than the average supermarket, according to the agency, which added that if all supermarkets across the country reduced the amount of refrigerant they leak to the GreenChill Partner average, they could avoid $156 million annually in refrigerant-replacement costs. 

EPA honored GreenChill partners in the following categories:

Best Corporate Emissions Rate

Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, N.C., achieved the lowest refrigerant emissions rate among retail supermarket chains last year, and Cook County Whole Foods Co-op, in Grand Marais, Minn., received recognition in the small-independent grocer category.

Most Improved Emissions Rate

Hanover Co-op Food Store, in Hanover, N.H., attained the program’s largest refrigerant leak rate reduction compared with the year it joined GreenChill, while McQuade’s Marketplace, of Westerly, R.I., lowered its emissions rate more than any other partner compared with the previous year.

Goal Achievement

These grocers voluntarily set and achieved their respective challenging corporate goals for reducing refrigerant emissions: Hy-Vee, based in West Des Moines, Iowa; King Kullen, based in Bethpage, N.Y.; Price Chopper, based in Schenectady, N.Y.; Raley’s, based in West Sacramento, Calif.; and and Sprouts Farmers Market, based in Phoenix. Hy-Vee, King Kullen and Sprouts additionally earned Exceptional Goal Achievement status for meeting an even more stringent “stretch” goal to lower refrigerant emissions.

Distinguished Partner

Hy-Vee led through active participation and initiative in achieving GreenChill goals.

GreenChill’s Store Certification Program also recognized certain stores for meeting strict performance criteria showing that their refrigeration systems have minimal impacts on the ozone layer and climate:

Best of the Best

Target, based in Minneapolis, adopted innovative advanced refrigeration systems in various small-format stores featuring stand-alone refrigerated cases with a very small amount of an environmentally friendlier refrigerant.

Store Certification Excellence

Aldi US, based in Batavia, Ill., and Hillphoenix, in Conyers, Ga., achieved more GreenChill store certifications than their peers over the past year. Aldi certified more stores than any supermarket chain has previously, all at the platinum level, while Hillphoenix achieved this recognition for the eighth time in a row.

Store Re-certification

Sunbury, Pa.-based Weis Markets’ store in Hanover, Pa., is the first store in the United States to be GreenChill certified for 10 consecutive years. Additionally eight Sprouts stores, in Birmingham, Ala.; Lakeland, Tenn.; Madison, Ala.; Mansfield, Texas; Peoria, Ariz.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Kansas City, Mo. (two), earned GreenChill certification for five straight years.