As part of its sustainable retailer commitment, The GIANT Company recently joined the GreenChill program, a voluntary U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnership with food retailers, refrigeration system manufacturers, and chemical manufacturers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their environmental impacts.

As a program partner, GreenChill provides The GIANT Company and other industry stakeholders with information and assistance to transition to environmentally friendly refrigerants, reduce the amount of refrigerant they use, eliminate refrigerant leaks, implement environmental best practices, and adopt green refrigeration technologies. There are more than 12,500 GreenChill partner stores throughout the country.

“From reducing waste across our operations and the sustainable sourcing of the products we sell to seeking out opportunities for energy efficiencies and creating pollinator habitats, healing the planet is something we take seriously at The GIANT Company,” said John Ponnett, senior vice president of retail operations at The GIANT Company. “Our partnership with GreenChill reinforces this commitment and highlights the steps we are taking to reduce refrigerant emissions from our stores and perishable distribution centers, helping to ensure a better tomorrow for the families we serve.”

The GIANT Company is currently performing refrigerant conversions, installing leak detectors, and replacing older refrigeration units when possible within its nearly 190 stores.

A typical supermarket leaks about 875 pounds of refrigerants into the atmosphere every year, but GreenChill partner stores have much lower leak rates than average stores in the U.S. If every supermarket reduces its leak levels to the GreenChill average, the supermarket industry could save more than $160 million in refrigerant replacement costs and reduce emissions by about 30 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent every year and 88 ozone depletion potential metric tons.

For more information on EPA’s GreenChill Program, visit epa.gov/greenchill.

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