The Institute of Refrigeration is delighted to announce its official endorsement supporting the Global Cooling Pledge, a global initiative led by the COP28 United Arab Emirates Presidency in collaboration with the UNEP-led Cool Coalition and endorsed by 63 Governments including the UK today.

Unveiled on 5 December at COP28, the Global Cooling Pledge signifies a resolute commitment from all participating entities to transition towards achieving net zero emissions cooling by the year 2050.

Graeme Fox FInstR, President of the Institute of Refrigeration, expressed enthusiasm for the Cooling Pledge, stating “The Global Cooling Pledge as a commitment to working towards net zero by 2050 very much aligns with the aims and objectives of the IOR and in particular our Environment Committee’s work on looking at our sector’s involvement Beyond Refrigeration to incorporate alternative cooling methods and heat recovery. The Trustees are proud to be supporting this pledge and look forward to helping policymakers develop meaningful and workable initiatives as we collectively strive to achieve the ambitious targets.”

As a proactive measure, the IOR, through its 'Beyond Refrigeration' working group, has already developed a comprehensive series of templates and roadmaps. These resources aim to assist individuals working in the cooling industry and end users developing net zero cooling strategies. Access to the resources is free to download at www.ior.org.uk/beyondrefrigeration/resources.

In addition to these tools, the Institute of Refrigeration is actively participating in a government-backed Net Zero Refrigeration Project (TICR). This initiative focuses on analysing real energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions within the transport, industrial, and commercial refrigeration sectors in the UK. The goal of TICR is to formulate a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy and policy for the cooling sector together with user guides, technology roadmaps and benchmarks. Learn more about TICR at www.netzerorefrigeration.uk.

The Institute of Refrigeration is dedicated to driving sustainability alongside innovation within the cooling industry, and its endorsement of the Global Cooling Pledge underscores its commitment to working collaboratively to achieve more sustainable cooling. 

Find out more about the Global Cooling Pledge at https://coolcoalition.org/global-cooling-pledge/