Kysor/Warren, a division of Manitowoc Foodservice, has received the 2009-2010 GreenChill Distinguished Partner Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award was presented during a ceremony following the Food Marketing Institute’s Energy and Store Development Conference in Minneapolis in September. Each year, the EPA presents the GreenChill Distinguished Partner Awards to organizations that have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting the environment by reducing the harmful impact of commercial refrigeration systems on climate change and the Earth’s ozone layer, according to Keilly Witman, manager of EPA’s GreenChill Partnership.

According to a statement from Manitowoc, Kysor/Warren received the only award presented in the non-supermarket partner category. Said Witman, “Kysor/Warren continues GreenChill’s tradition of recognizing an advanced technology manufacturer for outstanding contributions to furthering the partnership’s mission to reduce refrigerant emissions from supermarkets. Kysor/Warren’s contribution to GreenChill over the past year has been of the highest caliber, both in terms of quality and level of commitment.”

In October 2009, Kysor/Warren unveiled its first naturally occurring carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigeration system with grocery retailer Food Lion. Using a natural refrigerant, the CO2 system lowers the global warming potential by approximately 50 percent. In September 2010, the manufacturer also partnered with Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, installing an environmentally-friendly system into the grocer’s first GreenChill certified store. The system is expected to reduce the impact of the store’s refrigeration on the ozone layer by nearly 70 percent as compared to industry standards.

“We are very grateful to the EPA for recognizing our efforts at Kysor/Warren to address the growing concern over the impact of refrigerant leaks into the environment,” said Jim Laycock, Kysor/Warren president. “We are honored by this award and will remain committed to furthering the mission of the GreenChill Partnership by continuing to create products and solutions for our customers that help protect our planet.”

Also, in August 2010, the manufacturer was honored with the Community Green Award recognizing it as a good steward of the environment. The award was presented by the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ga., WLTZ-News 38.

The GreenChill Partnership assists partner food retailers in developing and attaining corporate environmental stewardship and sustainability goals. It also encourages emission reductions at individual stores through its Store Certification Program. Launched in 2007, the GreenChill Partnership now includes 50 partners with close to 5,500 stores throughout the US. GreenChill’s supermarket partners’ refrigerant leak rates are about 50 percent lower than the industry average, the EPA estimates.

Publication date: 12/06/2010