Environmental Leader

The California supermarket chain Raley’s is voluntarily committing to cut its refrigerant emissions by joining the EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership.

EPA’s GreenChill Partnership works with food retailers to promote green technologies, strategies, and practices that protect the stratospheric ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gases – and save money.

Under the agreement with the EPA, Raley’s requires all new and remodeled stores to be free of ozone-depleting substances. Stores must also establish an emissions inventory and meet annual emissions reduction targets.

Raley’s has also pledged to develop a refrigeration management plan that lists technologies, strategies and practices used to achieve emissions reductions goals.

Last June, the EPA says GreenChill partners prevented emissions of 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent and saved almost $13 million in operating costs.

Supermarkets like Shaws, Wal-Mart and Tesco are slowly making their stores greener.