E. Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, speaks at Greenpeace’s Inaugural Business Lecture in May 27th, 2008.
Enlarge ImageIf their use remains unchecked, HFCs—one of the most commonly used gases in refrigeration—will constitute 8.6% of all greenhouse gases by 2050. Pound for pound, HFCs are more than 1,300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, another well-known contributor to global warming.
Compared with other aspects of the climate change problem, the use of refrigerants can be solved easily because natural alternatives to the old technology are readily available. However, the industry’s inertia and strong lobbying by chemical manufacturers have prevented their adoption for commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning purposes. On the other hand, natural refrigerants are already widely used in domestic refrigerators around the world.
Addressing the packed 200-person lecture hall, E. Neville Isdell from The Coca-Cola Company pledged to reduce his company’s carbon footprint by buying 100,000 beverage coolers fitted with state-of-the-art natural refrigeration technologies by 2010.
Greenpeace’s Leipold acknowledged The Coca-Cola Company’s efforts and leadership in tackling climate change problems related to refrigeration and cooling. However, he also pressed for the company to shift more rapidly to new technologies, given the fact that Coke buys close to a million new refrigerator units every year. He called on Coke to make all its new refrigerators are HFC-free by 2012, in time for the London Olympics. In addition, he asked the Atlanta-based behemoth to show greater leadership by addressing other environmental issues linked to its operations, such as water issues in India.
The Greenpeace Business Lecture Series in China was launched with the purpose of introducing the latest corporate trends and insights on environmental solutions into the world’s most populous country. It offers a platform for open dialogue where leading corporate executives, policy makers, and members of the environmental movement can engage in an honest, robust exchange of views about the challenges and opportunities facing corporations that operate in China today.
Click here to take a look at the speech transcripts of Mr. E. Neville Isdell, Mr. Gerd Leipold, and Mr. Zhang Zhaohui’s (Chinese only) speeches.
To learn more about the Greenpeace Business Lecture Series in China, please contact Jamie Choi at Jamie.choi@greenpeace.org.
Compared with other aspects of the climate change problem, the use of refrigerants can be solved easily because natural alternatives to the old technology are readily available. However, the industry’s inertia and strong lobbying by chemical manufacturers have prevented their adoption for commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning purposes. On the other hand, natural refrigerants are already widely used in domestic refrigerators around the world.
Addressing the packed 200-person lecture hall, E. Neville Isdell from The Coca-Cola Company pledged to reduce his company’s carbon footprint by buying 100,000 beverage coolers fitted with state-of-the-art natural refrigeration technologies by 2010.
Greenpeace’s Leipold acknowledged The Coca-Cola Company’s efforts and leadership in tackling climate change problems related to refrigeration and cooling. However, he also pressed for the company to shift more rapidly to new technologies, given the fact that Coke buys close to a million new refrigerator units every year. He called on Coke to make all its new refrigerators are HFC-free by 2012, in time for the London Olympics. In addition, he asked the Atlanta-based behemoth to show greater leadership by addressing other environmental issues linked to its operations, such as water issues in India. The Greenpeace Business Lecture Series in China was launched with the purpose of introducing the latest corporate trends and insights on environmental solutions into the world’s most populous country. It offers a platform for open dialogue where leading corporate executives, policy makers, and members of the environmental movement can engage in an honest, robust exchange of views about the challenges and opportunities facing corporations that operate in China today.
Click here to take a look at the speech transcripts of Mr. E. Neville Isdell, Mr. Gerd Leipold, and Mr. Zhang Zhaohui’s (Chinese only) speeches.
To learn more about the Greenpeace Business Lecture Series in China, please contact Jamie Choi at Jamie.choi@greenpeace.org.
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