HFC warning

The Indian fast food industry is expected to grow from US$15 billion in size to more than $50 billion over the next five years but it has to control hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) emissions.

Just the eight fast food chains could add the equivalent of nearly one million tons of carbon emissions by 2020, warned a report by Washington-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

“Developing countries like India are expected to join a global HFC phase down, and it behooves multinational corporations to do their part for the climate,” said Avipsa Mahapatra, EIA Global Climate Campaign Director.

“With climate-friendly, cost effective technologies already available, these companies have no excuse to rely on super greenhouse gases.

“We call on these companies to recognize the enormous potential for emissions reductions in India by reducing their refrigeration footprint, and publicly commit to not install HFC-based equipment in their new stores from 2019,” said Mahapatra.

The report, Transitioning HFCs in India, The Opportunity for Climate Friendly Cooling in the Fast Food Industry, looks at American-based companies like McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, and Dunkin Donuts, as well as Indian-based company Café Coffee Day, and UK-based Hindustan Unilever.

The EIA calls on the Indian government to ban the use of HFCs with a global warming potential higher than 1,000 in new food and beverage refrigeration equipment beginning January 1, 2018, in multinational food and beverage retailers.

Parties to the Montreal Protocol will meet in October to reach an agreement on the global phase down of HFCs. A successful agreement has the potential to mitigate 100 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. fii-news.com