Reducing the use of HFC refrigerants is high on the CGF sustainability agenda. Refrigerants are heavily used by CGF members in a number of applications, and the CGF is committed to driving the shift to natural refrigerants. This is emphasised in the CGF resolution on refrigeration, which states that members will begin phasing-out HFC refrigerants as of 2015 and replace them with non-HFC refrigerants (natural refrigerant alternatives) where these are legally allowed and available for new purchases of point-of-sale units and large refrigeration installations. 

Organised by The Consumer Goods Forum, the Summit Looks to Kick-start the Uptake of Natural Refrigeration Systems 
 
PARIS, 23rd May 2013 – The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) today announced that the 3rd Refrigeration Summit – “Moving away from HFCs…Naturally!” – will be held in London on 5th June 2013. Hosted by Tesco, the Summit will bring retailers and technology suppliers together to discuss the barriers and solutions to a faster and geographically wider uptake of natural refrigeration systems. 
 
The Summit will welcome key players from across the industry. Attendees will hear from some of the leading retailers in the world who have already tried, tested and installed natural refrigeration systems and what they have learnt, as well as from technology suppliers, from natural refrigeration design consultants through to pack and case suppliers and installation and maintenance service providers. 
 
 
By bringing the stakeholders together, the Summit aims to offer a comprehensive overview on why the shift to natural refrigerants is important for our industry. Retailers yet to introduce such natural refrigeration systems will realise the benefits of exploring and investing in such technology, while technology suppliers will see that the retail sector is focused on phasing out HFC refrigerants. 
 
Helen Fleming, Tesco Climate Change Director, and Co-Chair of the CGF Sustainability Steering Group said: “Refrigeration plays a major part in the running of many of our businesses. The technologies exist today for our sector to significantly reduce the direct and indirect emissions of the refrigeration equipment we use. The Summit is the perfect platform for retailers and technology suppliers to focus on the solutions to transform the industry, and to accelerate the move to climate-friendly refrigeration”. 
 
Attendees are also invited to attend a special store tour on June 4th, the day before the Summit. The store tour will provide a unique opportunity for guests to visit a variety of stores in London that are currently utilising natural refrigeration systems, and to speak to the retailer and supplier experts about why and how they developed the solution they have. 
 
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NOTES TO EDITORS 
 
About The Consumer Goods Forum 
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is a global, parity-based industry network, driven by its members. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of over 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders across 70 countries and reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Forum member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion. Their retailer and manufacturer members directly employ nearly 10 million people with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. 
 
The Forum was created in June 2009 by the merger of CIES – The Food Business Forum, the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) and the Global CEO Forum. The Consumer Goods Forum is governed by its Board of Directors, which includes 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs and Chairmen. 
 
The Forum provides a unique global platform for knowledge exchange and initiatives around five strategic priorities – Emerging Trends, Sustainability, Safety & Health, Operational Excellence and Knowledge Sharing & People Development – which are central to the advancement of today’s consumer goods industry. 
 
The Forum’s vision is: “Better lives through better business”. To fulfil this, its members have given the Forum a mandate to develop common positions on key strategic and operational issues affecting the consumer goods business, with a strong focus on non-competitive process improvement. The Forum’s success is driven by the active participation of the key players in the sector, who together develop and lead the implementation of best practices along the value chain. 
 
With its headquarters in Paris and its regional offices in Washington, D.C., and Tokyo, the CGF serves its members throughout the world. 
 
Media Contact: 
Sabine Ritter, Executive Vice President 
The Consumer Goods Forum 
s.ritter@theconsumergoodsforum.com | +33 6 45 56 66 44