NEW YORK – The Environmental Protection Agency’s (E.P.A.’s) national GreenChill partnership recently recognized supermarket chains with stores in New Jersey and New York for their efforts to reduce emissions from refrigeration equipment and their impact on climate change.

Awardees include Supervalu, which is a parent company to a number of smaller chains operating in New Jersey; Weis Markets, which has facilities in New Jersey and New York; and Hannaford Bros., King Kullen and Price Chopper, all of which operate in New York. These companies exceeded their target emissions reduction goals to reduce greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting refrigerant emissions.


E.P.A. also gave a top national honor to Kysor/Warren, a major manufacturer of green refrigerant systems, for pioneering work on an environmentally friendly, carbon dioxide refrigeration system that reduces the impact on the ozone layer. The company was also recognized for its participation in GreenChill's advanced refrigeration technology data project, the store certification program, special projects, Webinars, and GreenChill events, and its willingness to share information on best practices with other partners for the good of the industry as a whole.

Supervalu also received a Distinguished Partner Award.

GreenChill partners transition to low-impact refrigerants, take action to reduce the amount of refrigerant used, eliminate leaks, and adopt green refrigeration technologies, strategies, and practices. Each partner establishes pollution reduction goal every year, and if the company exceeds its goal, it is recognized by E.P.A. with an award.

E.P.A. estimates if supermarkets nationwide reduced their emissions to the GreenChill average emissions rate, the industry would eliminate the equivalent of 22,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing nearly 4,000,000 cars from the road. This would also help restore stratospheric ozone, which protects the Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, a leading cause of skin cancer.

Supervalu/ACME Markets, Hannaford Bros., Weis Markets, and Price Chopper each earned GreenChill Environmental Achievement Awards for exceeding their company’s target emissions reduction goal to reduce greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting refrigerant emissions. Wiess had the largest improvement, with a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting refrigerant emissions. That is the biggest improvement of all partner companies.

GreenChill now has a total of 50 partners with almost 5,500 stores in 48 states.