Move to -15 during reefer transports
Blue Water joins global initiative to raise frozen food temperature by 3 degrees to reduce carbon emissions
For many decades, the standard temperature for frozen food has been set at a point of -18°C. However, recent international studies show that the keeping qualities of frozen foods remain the same at -15°C. By turning up the temperature 3 degrees, it becomes possible to spend less energy and reduce the carbon emissions caused by reefer transport and cold supply chains, all the way from production to end-consumer.
The Move to -15°C initiative aims to reset frozen food temperature standards to reduce greenhouse gases, lower supply chain costs and secure global food resources.
"We have partnered with the Move to -15 network to give our customers the opportunity to actively reduce their carbon footprint in a simple way. It costs nothing for the customer to change the temperature from -18°C to -15°C, and studies show that this change can have a significant environmental impact without compromising food safety”, explains Frank Madsen who is Senior VP, Reefer Solutions at Blue Water. He adds:
“This is a new and ground-breaking initiative, and we obviously want to support it from the start. The biggest challenge is to change existing procedures for everyone involved in the chain”.
Support from every stage of the frozen food supply chain
Thomas Eskesen, Chairman of the Move to -15°C Coalition, says: “Collaboration is essential to our success, so we are delighted to have attracted so many notable new members to our Coalition. Not only is it great to see our geographic footprint growing, but we are also seeing more members and representatives from across every stage of the frozen food supply chain”. He continues:
“By redefining temperature set points, we stand to make a significant impact in the decarbonisation of global supply chains. But one company cannot do this alone. To set us up for success, our focus remains on scaling our membership base, and we encourage key players within the frozen food supply chain to reach out and get involved.”
Move to -15°C was founded following the publication of the Three Degrees of Change report, an academic paper supported by global logistics company, DP World, and delivered by experts from the Paris-based International Institute of Refrigeration, the University of Birmingham and London South Bank University among others.
The report found that the Move to -15°C can:
- save 17.7 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent annual emissions of 3.8m cars
- create energy savings of around 25 terawatt-hours (TW/h) -equivalent to8.63% of the UK’s annual electricity consumption
- cut costs in the supply chain by at least 5% and in some areas by up to 12%.
If you have a refrigerated transport need or would like to know more about the options, please contact your usual Blue Water contact to find out more about how we can improve the sustainability of your solution.
