27 May 2020
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Celebrating the cold chain
Organisers of World Refrigeration Day 2020 on June 26 are expecting supporters to be even more creative this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year’s inaugural event was hugely successful in raising awareness of the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sector, and the crucial role it plays in everyday life.
Circumstances mean there can be no repetition of the estimated 800 physical events staged in at least 153 countries in 2019, with much of the activity expected to take place online.
Steve Gill, Head of the WRD Secretariat, said: “In light of coronavirus, WRD 2020 is transformed from a mainly physical event experience into a virtual and online one. We encourage the industry to use the opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the significant role that the industry, its science and its technology play in modern life and society, in a safe and responsible manner that is fully compliant with local restrictions and aligned to all safety measures.
Creative thinking
“We welcome creative thinking, illustrated by the range of activities for WRD19. Our digital age opens up many exciting possibilities to showcase what we do and the people that do it.
“We are aware that some will use June 26 as a launch date for when restrictions may allow for safe events. For this reason, we will keep the window open for WRD20-themed events until April 2021. Please register your events on the WRD website, and please adhere strictly to local safety guidance and measures in this and everything else that you do.’’
The cold chain theme chosen for this year has been brought into sharp focus by the current crisis. The cold chain links producers and growers across the world and is also essential for much more than food. Vaccines must remain chilled until they are used by medical professionals around the world, and the cold chain is essential for blood transfusions and organ donor transport and storage.
The organisers of the ColdChain4Life campaign are the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), ASHRAE, European Partnership for Energy and Environment (EPEE), International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), and the WRD Secretariat.
Among activities planned by the organisers are a free webinar on June 26 presenting an opportunity to reach out to the public, government, and end users describing the value of the cold chain. The aim of the webinar, along with development of ColdChain4Life promotional materials, is to motivate adoption of best practices that minimise food waste and loss in the supply chain process, stimulate wise technology selections, and enhance operations for minimising leakage of refrigerants and maximising energy efficiency.
Connect with the cold chain campaign at #COLDCHAIN4LIFE and with World Refrigeration Day at #WREFD20.
To be involved or share ideas for initiatives visit www.worldrefrigerationday.org.
To share news of how you are supporting the day, email Juliet Loiselle.
26/06/2020
Marks and Spencer are new sponsors of #Worldrefrigerationday for #WREFD20.
M&S has been a retailer for over 135 years, delivering top quality food, clothing, home products and financial services. They employ over 80,000 colleagues who serve around 31 million customers in the UK every year.”
#Worldrefrigerationday are excited to have to be working with M&S Food to help raise awareness and understanding of the #coldchain and the role of #refrigeration #airconditioning and #heatpumps
Thank you to the whole team at M&S including John Skelton, Tony Maclean, Chris Skelton
