# GREENFREEZE:

A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION C hlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) damage the earth's protec tive ozone layer. Governments, industry and environmental groups agree that CFC production must be halted. The point of contention surrounding CFC phase-out is which alternative substances and techn ologies are the best substitutes for CFCs and the g oods and services they provide. The chemical industry, led by such giants as Du Pon t, ICI and Atochem, is striving to maintain the mon opoly over the global market that it had enjoyed with CFC s during the past six decades. 

### HCFCs and HFCs: Obsolete Technologies in the Making The industry promotes large scale production of hyd rochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbon s (HFCs). Industry acknowledges that HCFCs will conti nue to destroy the ozone layer, albeit somewhat les s than CFCs, and that both HCFCs and HFCs are potent globa l warming gases. Industry also refers to HCFCs and HFCs as "transitional substances", meaning that the y will have to be replaced by environmentally more acceptable substances sometime in the not-too-dista nt future. Nevertheless, the chemical corporations expend huge amounts of money around the world, promoting the false-perception that at the present time only their products are available as viable alternatives to CF Cs. In actuality, the chemical industry's two step appr oach for phasing out CFCs makes no sense environmen tally or economically. HCFCs and HFCs hurt the environment, they are costly, and companies that employ them tod ay will have to suffer the costs of switching yet agai n to environmentally safer substances and technolog ies within the next few decades, if not sooner. HCFC-141b, the preferred alternative to CFC-11 for insulation foam blowing in the U.S., is an ozone de stroyer, with a short term ozone depleting potential (ODP) o f 0.11, one of the highest among HCFCs. HCFC-141b a lso has a global warming potential (GWP) 1800 times of CO2 (20 year time scale). For this reason, HCFC-141 b is GREENFREEZE: A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfreeze.htm

1 of 8 3/23/2016 3:55 PMscheduled to be phased out in the United States by the year 2004, under the Clean Air Act. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of HFC-134a, the preferred alternative to CFC-12 for refrigerant in the U.S., is estimated to be 3,200 times that of carbon dioxide (over a time span of 20 years). The global warming impact of the worldwide annual production of at lea st 200,000 tones of R134a equals roughly the CO2 em issions of an industrialized nation the size of France or the UK. In the longer term, the Intergovernmental Pa nel on Climate Change (IPCC) has estimated that HFC emissi ons, if unregulated, could reach over thirteen time s this level or 2,764,000 tones per year in the next centu ry. Consequently, HFC-134a is coming under increase d international scrutiny, with pressures beginning to build up for their controls under the Climate Conv ention. This two-step approach of the chemical industry is driven by a wish to turn a profit on the hundreds o f millions of dollars it had invested in the wrong technology. On December 1, the London Financial Times reportedthat Du Pont had invested $450 million in HCFC and HFC production, and expects to hit the $1 billion mark in 1 995, with an expected recovery period for the investmentof no less than ten years. The company claims to r equire another ten to twenty years of HCFC and HFC production to profit above and beyond recouping their investment. The world has limited resources, and as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 1992 Technology and Economic Assessment Panel stated, "the developm ent of technologies which do not use either control led or transitional substances [e.g. hydrocarbons] can be inhibited because the prospect of technology using transitional substances [e.g. HCFCs and HFCs] discourages investment in technology that would only be profitable if transitional substances were not acceptable." Simpl y stated, this means that the production and promotion of HCFCs and HFCs hinders the transition to safer alte rnatives. Developing countries, especially, cannot afford the two-step approach for phasing-out CFCs, as propose d by the chemical industry. The chemical giants conduct exte nsive lobbying campaigns in developing countries, a nd within the Montreal Protocol to secure their market s for their obsolete technologies. Greenpeace is campaigning to counter the misinformation of the chemical industry, and to inform develo ping countries about the availability and the merits of hydrocarbon based 'Greenfreeze' technology. At the same time, Greenpeace is advocating that the Multilateral Fundof the Montreal Protocol, which was set up to help developing countries phase-out of CFCs, should not be wasted on 'transitional' HCFC and HFC technologi es. Instead, it should only be used to promote technolo gies that are safe for the ozone, do not contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect, and are env ironmentally benign. Ultimately, the decision regarding which alternativ e refrigerants and insulation blowing agents are mo st suitable for replacing ozone depleting CFCs in domestic refr igeration, should be based what is best for the ozo ne layer and the atmosphere. Greenpeace, along with an increasing number of engi neers and scientists, maintains that the future of environmentally safer refrigeration lies with natur al substances, such as hydrocarbons, CO2, ammonia, water, air. Among these natural substances, hydrocarbon te chnologies are the most readily available at the pr esent time for the purposes of domestic refrigeration. With hy drocarbon technology, there is no need for the chem ical industry's two-step, environmentally harmful and ec onomically wasteful approach. Hydrocarbons have zer o ozone depletion potential, and very low global warm ing impact. Fortunately, they are also very efficie nt refrigerants and blowing agents for insulation foam

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# THE STORY OF "GREENFREEZE"
In the spring Greenpeace brought together scientist s who had extensively researched the use of propane and GREENFREEZE: A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfreeze.htm

2 of 8 3/23/2016 3:55 PMbutane as refrigerants, with an East German company DKK Scharfenstein. The company had been producing refrigerators for 50 years and was the leading hous ehold appliance manufacturer in the former East Germany. After reunification, however, it faced severe econo mic problems and was due to be closed down. The meeting between the scientists and DKK Scharfen stein resulted in the birth of 'Greenfreeze' techno logy for domestic refrigeration. Greenfreeze refrigerators u se hydrocarbons for both the blowing of the insulation foam and the refrigerant and they are entirely free of o zone destroying and global warming chemicals.
When DKK Scharfenstein announced their intention to mass produce "Greenfreeze", Greenpeace successfull y campaigned to gather tens of thousands of pre-order s for the yet-to-be-produced new refrigerator from environmentally conscious consumers in Germany. Thi s overwhelming support from the public secured the capital investment needed for the new 'Greenfreeze' product, and at the same time, salvaged the compan y and saved the jobs of its workers. The major household appliance manufacturers, who ha d already invested in HFC-134a refrigeration techno logy as the substitute for CFCs, at first claimed that the 'Greenfreeze' concept would not work. However, u pon realizing that the first completely -CFC, HCFC and HFC-free refrigerator was about to come on the mark et, and recognizing the market appeal of a truly environmen tally friendly refrigerator, the four biggest produ cers, Bosch, Siemens, Liebherr and Miele gave up their resistanc e to the hydrocarbon technology, and introduced the ir own line of 'Greenfreeze' models in the spring of 1993. Within a year and a half the Greenfreeze technology has spread like wild-fire throughout Europe, and t o other parts of the world. Many models of 'Greenfreeze' re frigerators are now on sale in Germany, Austria, De nmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Britai n. All of the major European companies, Bosch, Siem ens, Electrolux, Liebherr, Miele, Quelle, Vestfrost , Ba uknecht, Foron,AEG are marketing Greenfreeze-techno logy based refrigerators. Even the Environmental Ministe rs of Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands have len t their support by buying a Greenfreeze refrigerator. Greenfreeze technology has also spread to other con tinents. Greenfreeze is about to be produced in Arg entina. Companies in India are expressing great interest in converting to the hydrocarbons. Godrej-GE and Volt as Ltd. are currently moving ahead to a pilot plant stage t o convert to cyclopentane foam blowing, in cooperation with the Swiss/German ECOFRIG project. The Dutch organiz ation ECOZONE has been working with the Pakistan Holland Metal Project (PHMP) in Peshawar on a train ing course for refrigerator technicians in the use of hydrocarbon technology. As a result of Greenpeace's initiatives in China, Q ingdao company plans to have its Greenfreeze models on the market by February, 1995. Other Chinese companies a re expected to follow suit, with the assistance of bilateral arrangements with the German government, under the provisions of the Montreal Protocol. A Greenpeace exhibition in Tokyo in April 1993 attracted over 60 0 representatives from Japanese and South Korean companies. In Kenya, the Climate Action Network (CAN) Africa i s working together with the National Environment Secretariat and the National Refrigeration Demonstr ation Centre of the Kenyan Polytechnic on a proposa l to demonstrate hydrocarbon technology in Kenya. In Ghana, despite receiving training from the WorldBank in HFC-134a conversion, the National Refriger ation Workers Association of Ghana are reluctant to switc h to this expensive chemical. Together with Friends of the Earth Ghana, a training course is now planned in th e conversion of existing refrigerators to run with hydrocarbons. 80% of the country's domestic market are second-hand refrigerators from Europe. Two year s ago, the Netherlands who ship 200,000 of these fridges ayear to West Africa decided to convert them to pro pane in GREENFREEZE: A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfreeze.htm

3 of 8 3/23/2016 3:55 PMorder not to be accused of chemical dumping later o n. The project aims to develop capacity for retrofi tting in Ghana itself. As of January 1, 1995 it will be forb idden in Germany to trade in refrigerators containi ng CFCs. Meanwhile, companies like Matsushita and Sharp in J apan, have gone half-way by converting to pentane b lown insulation foam. Similarly, in Australia, Fisher & Paykel and E-Mail are blowing foam with cyclopentan e, and E-Mail plans to have a Greenfreeze, bar refrigerato r on the market by 1995. 

### Greenfreeze Technology Greenfreeze uses a mixture of propane (R290) and is obutane (R60Oa), or isobutane as a pure gas for the refrigerant. This replaces the ozone-destroying che micals currently used in refrigeration systems worl dwide. The filling quantities are about two thirds less than w hat is required with HFC-134a and CFC-12, due to th e technical and thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons. Propane and butane are natural gases available with out licenses all over the world at prices (in a purified form) comparable to those of CFCs. The energy efficiency of the propane/butane refrigerators has been provedto be as good as those cooled with CFCs or HFC-134a. Some "Greenfreeze" refrigerators with isobutane use up to 38 percent less energy than their identical counterparts with HFC-134a. Bosch-Siemens announceda 50% energy savings with Greenfreeze in their 199 3 annual report. Greenfreeze is insulated with cyclopentane blown po lyurethane foam. This replaces the CFC- or HCFC-blo wn insulation foams currently used in refrigerators. C yclopentane has no ozone depletion potential (ODP) and the effect of its components on global warming is negli gible. The insulation value of cyclopentane blown f oam compares favorably with that of CFC-11 blown foam, and is better than HCFC-141b blown foam. According to the UNEP "In the past two years cyclopentane has em erged as the most promising zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) alternative to CFC-11 as a blowing agent for rigid insulation foam." Direct Global Warming Potential of CO2, CFC-11, CFC -12, HCFC-141b, HFC-134a and the

Hydrocarbons Cyclopentane, Propane, and Isobutane: 

### Flammability And Safety Standards For Hydrocarbons Hydrocarbons are flammable. However, their flammabi lity can be easily mitigated through adequate safety measures in production and product design. The cont ent of propane or butane in a domestic 'Greenfreeze ' refrigerator equals roughly the content of two cigarette lighters. The risk of explosion is minimal: i t takes between 17 g/cubic meter and 39 g/cubic meter to cr eate an explosive mixture. Therefore, if the refrig erant were to leak outside the refrigerator, an explosion woul d be nearly impossible. In the unlikely event of a sudden and complete leakage into the cabinet, explosion of the mixture would also be highly improbable as ignitio n sources such as the light switches and evaporators have bee n moved into the foam insulation. In addition, the lubricating oil in the system absorbs up to 50% of the hydrocarbon refrigerant. The Technischer Ueberwachungsverein (TUEV), the Ger man safety and standards institution, has approved the 'Greenfreeze' Models as "safe and tested" and state s that as a result of their investigations "there are no dangers in the use, transport and storage of this refrigerator due to the use of the liquid gas as a cooling a gent" and that "appearance and explosion of propane butane inside the refrigerator can be practically excluded". Its safety-sign is valid for the entire European Community market. Upcoming European legislation will allow up to one kilogram of inflammable refrigerant without restric tion. GREENFREEZE: A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfreeze.htm

4 of 8 3/23/2016 3:55 PMUnderwriters Laboratory in the US has also approvedcyclopentane for insulation foam blowing, as well as the use of up to 113 g of hydrocarbons for refrigerant. 

### 'Back To The Future' * The use of hydrocarbons in domestic refrigerationpredates the invention of the "miracle" compounds --CFCs--in the early '30s. In the United States, in the mid '30s, out of 60 different refrigerator bra nds, 11 used isobutane as refrigerant. The refrigerant charge inthose refrigerators is estimated to have been appr oximately 1.5 kg (1500 grams), (3.3 lbs) of isobutane. 1 In comparison, today's hydrocarbon refrigerators, with herm etically sealed compressor systems, use between 30 to 70 gra ms of refrigerant, depending on the size of the ref rigerator. That is 20-50 times less refrigerant used under muc h safer conditions. The recent advent of hydrocarbo n technology in domestic refrigeration represents a p ositive technological reach "back to the future". A reach to the past in order to secure the future. 

### Technology Transfer To Developing Countries German refrigerator producers, such as Foron, Bosch , Siemens and Liebherr, are willing to enter into cooperation with refrigeration companies in develop ing countries at all levels, from distribution to s ale of components, to pure technology transfer, conversion of existing facilities or delivery of new machines and relevant components. Money is available from the Multilateral Fund of th e Montreal Protocol to finance this kind of CFC-fre e technology in developing countries. The German mini stries for economic cooperation and for the environ ment have agreed to make several million US $ available in 1994 for the transfer of hydrocarbon refrigerati on technology to these countries. Greenfreeze is particularly suitable for the needs of future household refrigeration growth-markets in Asia, Latin-America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Its techn ology is easy to handle, requires no special and ex pensive high-tech equipment and creates no dependency on imports or expensive licenses or substances. 

### Greenfreeze Frozen Out In America All of the major European companies will have switc hed their domestic refrigerators to hydrocarbon "Greenfreeze" technology by the end of 1994. Unfortunately, the American refrigeration industry, suffe ring from environmental and economic myopia, is resistant to making the inevitable conversion. Consequently, the American industry --by clutching on to obsolete, tr ansitional technologies-- is in danger of losing it s competitive edge, and the American consumer is denied the right of access to an environmentally safer appliance. American industry's reluctance to embrace the new G reenfreeze technology seems to be driven by short t erm investment/profit considerations rather than long t erm industrial strategy or environmental concerns.
Some of the manufacturers that market Greenfreeze i n Europe have so far declined to do so in the Ameri can market. Their rationale has been that the hydrocarb on technology is not compatible with the large size and the automatic defrost features of American refrigerator s. However, these concerns are easily addressed. Te sts have shown that not more than 70g of hydrocarbon refrige rants are needed to efficiently cool a large Americ an style refrigerator/freezer unit. That is well within the 113g hydrocarbon refrigerant limit recommended by Underwriters Laboratory. The technological challenges posed by automatic def rost have also been resolved, as evidenced by the L iebherr Company's recently (09/94) announced plans to have a 'no-frost' refrigerator/freezer model on the mark et in GREENFREEZE: A REVOLUTION IN DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/greenfreeze.htm

5 of 8 3/23/2016 3:55 PM1995. Furthermore, American manufacturers could eas ily take the first step towards an environmentally safer refrigerator by immediately switching to blowing th e insulation foam with cyclopentane, instead of con tinuing to use HCFC-141b. 

### Greenpeace Forecasts North American Thaw For Greenfreeze Despite the U.S. industry's current resistance to s witching to 'Greenfreeze' technology, Greenpeace is confident that 'Greenfreeze' has a bright future in the Ameri can market. This optimism is based on the inherent environmental and technological advantages of hydro carbon refrigeration over HCFC and HFC based technologies. These substances have a time-limited market potential because of their negative impact o n the environment, and they are more expensive and less e fficient than hydrocarbons. Furthermore, indications are that despite vested in terests promoting the HCFC and HFC technologies, th ere is considerable interest on the research level in Gree nfreeze technology among American manufacturers. Greenpeace believes that it is only matter of time before the technology penetrates the North American continent, and that the company that makes the firs t move will gain the greatest commercial benefits.
The future of 'Greenfreeze' in North America will u ltimately be decided by the consumers. North Americ an consumers are just as sophisticated and environment ally conscious as their European counterparts. Soonthe major manufacturers will realize that a domestic 'G reenfreeze' refrigerator offers huge market potenti als. Written by: Greenpeace

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