Lineage is exploring the potential transition to greener cold storage standards as part of the new “Join the Move to -15 C” coalition, which includes DP World and several other global supply chain and logistics organizations.
Their goal is to help reduce global carbon emissions in the sector, the company reported.
The “Join the Move” initiative, which also includes Maersk, CMA CGM, Daikin, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, Hapag-Lloyd, Kuehne + Nagel International, MSC, and Ocean Network Express, involves reassessing the longstanding international temperature standard of minus-18 degrees Celsius established in the 1930s and untouched for nearly a century.
“Aligned with our purpose of transforming the food supply chain to eliminate waste and help feed the world, we are thrilled to be among the first coalition participants in furthering a collective industry effort with the potential to combat climate change and mitigate the carbon emissions impact of the cold chain industry,” Greg Lehmkuhl, Lineage president and CEO, said in a news release.
“Our membership in the coalition underscores our dedication to innovating food safety and quality protocols across the cold storage and transportation sector in the way we store, move, and service food across the globe.”
Academic research concludes that raising the standard storage temperature of most frozen food by just 3 degrees Celsius to minus-15 degrees C could make a significant environmental impact by cutting carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of taking 3.8 million cars off the road per year, without compromising food safety or quality.
Experts from the Paris-based International Institute of Refrigeration, the University of Birmingham, and London South Bank University, among others, found the small change could:
- Save 17.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent annual emissions of 3.8 million cars
- Create energy savings of around 25 terawatt-hours (TW/h), the equivalent to 8.63% of the U.K.’s annual energy consumption
- Cut costs in the supply chain by at least 5%, and in some areas by up to 12%
“At Lineage, we believe taking food safety seriously involves a dynamic conversation that never stops—and supporting this coalition in the exploration of establishing new frozen food temperature standards to cut greenhouse gases, lower supply chain costs, and secure food resources for the world’s growing population, is a vital way of working together with industry peers and contributing to the conversation,” said Dr. Stephen Neel, Lineage VP of global food optimization. “In the end, we are committed to continuous safety conversations and ongoing innovation, and we are unwavering in our dedication to promoting the highest level of safety and quality for the food with which we are entrusted.”
