SPECIAL:
THE GROWTH EDITION
Sustainability is cool
Cold-side equipment is energy- hungry and uses refrigerants that can pollute the environment. This makes it a hotbed of innovation among manufacturers seeking to improve the industry’s sustainability credentials. Jim Banks considers the importance of sustainable goals when designing equipment to keep things cool
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cold-side equipment,” says Alexander Hofer FCSI, CEO and senior consultant at catering sector planning consultancy H44Team. “Sustainability is more than just a nice word these days. Customers want it more and more now, and we have to look at what will happen in the next 20 years because we must look after the planet for the next generation. “In gas stations, shops, bars and
restaurants, most people are used to having a fridge that is plug and play, so you need a lot of fresh air to refrigerate,” he adds. “You need good insulation, and you need energy classifi cation because industry is always looking to respond to new norms as much as possible, but also to produce equipment at the lowest price possible.” For Hofer, there is a disconnect
very piece of equipment in the kitchen has an environmental impact. Anything that uses electricity, water or gas requires some form of power generation. Any system that heats or cools food is going to have a carbon footprint. Every piece of kit that uses refrigerant gas is going to create pollution when it comes to the end of its life. Sustainability, therefore, must be considered in every aspect of foodservice. While a lot of eff ort has been put into making venting systems and cooking equipment more eco-friendly, the cold side has lagged behind, not least because it brings many challenges in terms of energy effi ciency and pollutants. Yet these challenges are precisely what makes cold-side equipment a potential hotbed of innovation. “Sustainability is a big challenge for
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between the domestic and professional markets when it comes to energy classifi cation for cold-side equipment, and he believes this gap must be closed as soon as possible. “We have energy classifi cation for home use, but for professional equipment it is coming relatively late,” he says. “In fact, the professional sector should be like Formula 1, where advanced concepts and technologies are tested out before they’re mass produced for the wider market. It’s not working that way around at the moment.” Green labeling, which attests to the
energy effi ciency or low environmental impact of a piece of kitchen equipment, is more than a marketing ploy. It’s starting to matter to customers and operators alike, as well as being a more important item on the agenda of regulators. “I can only speak for my territory –
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