U.S. Supermarkets Lag in Adopting Climate-Friendly Refrigeration, Reveals EIA Scorecard

The Environmental Investigation Agency's latest scorecard reports insufficient progress among major U.S. supermarkets in adopting climate-friendly refrigerants. Only three out of sixteen evaluated chains—ALDI, Whole Foods, and Target—received passing scores for their efforts to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have a significant impact on global warming. The scorecard criticizes the slow adoption of HFC-free technology and lack of transparency in the supermarket industry, despite available alternatives with much lower global warming potential. It highlights a pressing need for these companies to develop detailed strategies and set public interim targets to reduce and ultimately eliminate HFC emissions.