Largest US Grocery Operator Commits to CO2 Refrigerants in New Stores and Propane for All Stand-Alone Refrigerator Cases.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 18, 2024 – Following the release of Kroger’s 2024 ESG report, the nonprofit Green America welcomed small steps forward and called on the company to take more serious action to address hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions from its stores’ refrigeration systems. HFCs are an extremely potent greenhouse gas, with thousands of times more global warming impact than carbon emissions.
In the new report, the company’s stated climate impact goals remain a 30% reduction from the company’s 2018 baseline. However, Kroger’s market-based scope 1 and 2 emissions actually rose 3.8% year over year from 2022 to 2023. Regarding refrigerants, which remain Kroger’s largest source of direct emissions, the company is committing to move to CO2 refrigerants at new stores, but states it is only converting existing stores to lower global warming potential (GWP) systems that can still have many times the climate impacts of natural refrigerants. Kroger is transitioning stand-alone refrigerators to ultra-low GWP propane refrigerants, with more than 15,000 free-standing units using propane. The company’s rollout of infrared leak detectors to all stores is increasing, but the company’s 100% rollout target is delayed from 2024 to 2026. Overall, Kroger continues to trail ALDI, Whole Foods, and Target in its commitments to phasing out HFC refrigerants.
Dan Howells, climate campaigns director at Green America, said: “Kroger, a leading grocery chain in the US, is taking minor steps forward on refrigerants. But its latest partial response to protecting the communities it serves from climate change will only continue to endanger the company’s reputation, bottom line, and customers. Kroger must show the company is taking serious actions on phasing out HFCs from all its stores.”
Following consumer pressure, Kroger recently announced that starting in 2025, new stores will adopt a natural CO2 refrigerant with low GWP. However, the company must do more to eliminate HFCs from existing stores. The company has stated that transitioning to ultra-low GWP refrigerant has the potential to reduce per-store emissions by more than 200 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) annually. This would translate to 550,000 MTCO2e if all of its 2750 stores moved to ultra-low GWP systems, which is approximately 40% of the company’s current total emissions from refrigerants.
Green America and its members are urging Kroger to adopt ultra-low GWP refrigeration in all of its nearly 2,800 stores by 2035 with interim targets to cut out HFCs and acknowledge that this requires transitioning to refrigerants with a GWP less than 150, not the 1,400 GWP standard the company has put forward. In the meantime, Kroger must adopt robust goals to further reduce leaks from existing HFC equipment.
ABOUT GREEN AMERICA
Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses, investors, and consumers to solve today’s social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Max Karlin for Green America, (703) 276-3255 or mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com.
