Urge supermarkets to cut super pollutants that accelerate the climate crisis.
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Over 100,000 people joined us to demand that Walmart eliminate its highly potent refrigerant emissions – and Walmart has finally announced that it will transition to “low-impact” refrigerants by 2040.
But two decades is too long to wait when communities are facing devastation from the climate crisis today.
We’re urging Walmart to meet the scale of this crisis and to release a detailed plan to cut its refrigerant emissions on a more aggressive timeline.
Tell Walmart to eliminate HFCs now
New Action: Trader Joe’s has a terrible record on climate and labor practices and hasn’t released any public plans on how it will stop the leaking of climate super-pollutant gases from its stores or address labor rights issues in its supply chains.Â
That’s why Green America and the Environmental Investigation Agency have teamed up to hold Trader Joe’s accountable.
Tell Trader Joe's: Don't Discount Our Future
Appliances we use to keep cool are leaking gases that warm our atmosphere at a shocking rate. Â
Refrigerators and air conditioning units humming along are easy to overlook...but substances called refrigerants that are used in these appliances to keep things cool are melting the ice caps.
Refrigerants transform from liquid to gas and back continually as they cycle through coils in appliances, absorbing heat and promoting cooling. The most common refrigerants are greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are intensifying the climate crisis.Â
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These harmful, human-made gases are leaking out of refrigeration systems and rapidly entering our atmosphere. As we do the crucial work of cutting CO2 emissions, we must also address dangerous, extremely potent HFCs.
Eliminating HFCs and adopting climate-friendly refrigerants is a top solution to address the climate crisis that can prevent nearly half a degree of global warming. Better cooling can help prevent 460 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years.
Best Practices for Safe Appliance Disposal
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Supermarkets use a lot of energy, and up to 60 percent is used for cooling and heating systems. But the largest climate impacts come from the refrigerants themselves.Â
A typical supermarket consumes 4,000 pounds of refrigerants each year with a quarter leaking out due to faulty systems.
Refrigerant leaks from US supermarkets emit 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year (the equivalent of 9.5 million cars on the road).Â
To address this issue, companies must commit to:Â
A few supermarkets have made progress in tackling HFCs but far too many are lagging.Â
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Find a Climate-friendly Supermarket
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Walmart’s annual HFC emissions are over 2.8 million metric tons, or the energy equivalent of powering all the households in San Francisco. Â
Walmart has failed to honor past agreements to address HFCs, even though they make up nearly half of the company’s total direct emissions.
The company's new goal is not specific or aggressive enough to meet the scale of the climate crisis. Walmart has known the urgency of this issue for years but has not taken serious steps to put its words into action.Â
We’re calling on Walmart to finally release a detailed, aggressive plan to eliminate its use of super pollutants HFCs. Â
Tell Walmart to Cool It for the Climate
Trader Joe’s has a bad record of emitting refrigerant gases that hurt the climate and the ozone. It received the lowest score on EIA’s Climate-Friendly Supermarket Scorecard, which assessed the company on its insufficient action to reduce the use and emission of HFCs.
Additionally, Trader Joe's doesn't publicly report its climate emissions or social responsibility practices, as many other large companies do to show progress towards commitments.Â
Green America and Environmental Investigation Agency have teamed up to hold Trader Joe's accountable for its poor climate and labor practices and lack of transparency.Â
Tell Trader Joe's: Don't Discount Our Future
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The refrigerants, substances used in cooling appliances, emit hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. HFCs have thousands of times the warming capacity than CO2 and they are the fastest growing greenhouse gas.
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