Global: Chilled by the sun
Chilled by the sun: Tackling climate change.
Solar powered ice cream cabinets
When Constandina Katsanevaki and her brother Sotiris chose their Magnum and Cornetto on a baking hot day during the 2004 Athens Olympics, they probably didn't notice that the ice cream cabinet was powered by the sun. And they couldn't tell that the ice creams were chilled by gases that don't contribute to global warming.
The cabinet is one of five solar-powered units Unilever tested during the Olympics – an example of how the company is trying to reduce its impact on the environment, including climate change.
Warmer weather might seem good for ice cream sales, but global warming brings unpredictable environmental consequences for society and business.
Improving technology
In Europe, considerable progress has been made in improving ice cream cabinet technology. Refrigeration in Unilever's factories uses ammonia, which does not affect the ozone layer or contribute to climate change. But thousands of older retail cabinets still use CFC or HCFC gases that damage the Earth's protective ozone layer as well as contributing to climate change. The hole in the ozone layer lets in harmful ultraviolet sunlight, which restricts plant growth and can cause skin cancers.
Unilever is now introducing cabinets using a hydrocarbon (HC) gas, which avoids both the ozone depletion and global warming effects. HC cabinets use up to 9% less energy than older technologies and HC refrigerant does not increase the concentration of those gases that contribute to climate change (known as greenhouse gases). In 2005, 60 000 of these new cabinets had been installed across Europe.
Working with others
Since 1996, the company has been working in close cooperation with environmental campaigners Greenpeace to develop this new technology. Unilever trialled 50 HC freezers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics before launching its HC freezers in Europe.
The HC cabinets programme is just one example of Unilever's work to reduce its impact on climate change. The mailer outlines several other initiatives around the world, including energy efficiency measures in the United States, use of renewable energy in Kenya and cutting transport emissions in Italy.
