Whole Foods adopts Honeywell’s lower GWP refrigerant technology

Lower global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant helps food retailers comply with current and proposed environmental regulations

Whole Foods Market has adopted Honeywell’s Solstice N40 (R-448A) lower GWP refrigerant in its stores across the U.S. as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under EPA’s GreenChill program. Photo courtesy Whole Foods Market

Global natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market has adopted Honeywell’s Solstice N40 (R-448A) lower GWP refrigerant in its stores across the U.S. as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under the EPA’s GreenChill program.

The food retailer will retrofit their commercial refrigeration systems at more than 100 stores with Honeywell’s reduced-GWP alternative, replacing high-global-warming-potential refrigerants R-404A and R-22.

Based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology, Solstice N40 offers a GWP that is approximately 68% lower than legacy hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants like R-404A. When using Solstice N40, refrigeration systems also consume less energy than their counterparts that cool using HFCs. In U.S. and European supermarket trials, in comparison to R-404A, Solstice N40 demonstrated an average of between 5% to 15% lower energy consumption in refrigeration applications. It can be used in new installations and to retrofit existing systems using high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A and R-507.

“In the past decade, we’ve implemented several innovative measures to reduce our CO2 emissions, and the use of Honeywell’s refrigerant to retrofit our stores will contribute significantly to this goal,” says Mike Ellinger, principal program manager, Engineering, Compliance and Sustainability, Whole Foods Market. “After reviewing all of our available retrofit options for our refrigerated cases, R-448A was the clear winner, based on its performance, energy efficiency, reduced GWP and ease of conversion.”

Whole Foods Market is a founding member and active participant in the EPA’s GreenChill Partnership, with 12 stores certified. The GreenChill program is a partnership with food retailers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using alternative solutions and minimizing refrigerants that deplete the ozone.

“Solstice N40 has become the trusted choice for both commercial and industrial refrigeration customers globally to meet sustainability goals, and we are proud to assist the industry in moving toward the future with environmentally preferable and energy-efficient refrigerants,” says Chris LaPietra, vice president, Honeywell Stationary Refrigerants. “Solstice N40 will help Whole Foods Market lower its carbon footprint, save energy and meet regulatory requirements without having to undertake massive changes to its systems.”

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Sharon Spielman is former senior editor of Food Engineering magazine. She has more than 25 years of experience as a writer and editor for a range of trade publications, including those that cover food and beverage processing, restaurants and institutions, chefs, process heating and cooling, finishing, and package converting.