GreenChill partners go above and beyond regulatory requirements and commit to decreasing their impact on the environment by reducing refrigerant emissions. In reporting year 2024, there were more than 13,500 supermarket stores in the GreenChill partnership, representing 30% of stores in the U.S., and over 900 GreenChill-certified supermarket stores throughout the nation, a 10% increase from the 2023 reporting year. On average, GreenChill food retailers have emissions rates approximately 11% lower than the industry average of 25%.  

This year, EPA recognized the following GreenChill partner companies: 

Best Corporate Emissions Rate 

• City Market, Onion River Co-op (Burlington, Vermont) 

• Meijer (Grand Rapids, Michigan) 

Most Improved Emissions Rate 

• BriarPatch Food Co-op (Auburn and Grass Valley, California) 

• Brookshire Grocery Company (Tyler, Texas) 

Exceptional Goal Achievement 

• Hy-Vee (Sycamore, Illinois) 

• K-VA-T Food Stores/Food City (Abingdon, Virginia) 

GreenChill’s Store Certification program recognized stores for meeting strict performance criteria, including refrigeration systems with minimal potential impacts on the ozone layer and climate system. This year’s GreenChill Store Certification recognitions honor: 

Store Leadership 

• Target (San Antonio, Texas) for completing a remodel that utilized efficient cooling technology to achieve an energy-saving system in a warmer climate by installing a transcritical carbon dioxide system and an adiabatic gas cooler. 

Store Certification Excellence  

• ALDI (Batavia, Illinois) for leading its peers in certifying more stores than any supermarket chain had previously, with all 611 stores reaching the highest platinum-level certification. 

• Hillphoenix (Conyers, Georgia) achieved this recognition for the 12th consecutive year as the commercial systems manufacturer with the most systems installed in GreenChill-certified stores in the last year. 

Store Recertification Excellence 

• ALDI – For the fifth consecutive year, ALDI achieved GreenChill store certification for 164 locations across Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. 

• Target – For the fifth consecutive year, Target achieved GreenChill store certification in 10 stores across California, Florida, New York, South Carolina and Washington. 

About GreenChill 

GreenChill is a voluntary partnership program that works cooperatively with the food retail industry to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the environment. Leaky systems can come at a high price, requiring retailers to pay for replacement refrigerant, system maintenance, and repairs. Reducing leaks is also beneficial to the environment, as some refrigerants deplete the stratospheric ozone layer and are potent greenhouse gases. In addition to reducing leaks, GreenChill participants are leaders transitioning to environmentally friendlier refrigerants and adopting advanced refrigeration technologies.