Danfoss leads sustainable cold chain infrastructure development in Africa

Danfoss is urging for more attention to sustainable and energy-efficient cold-chain infrastructure, as 14 percent of global food loss is due to inadequate refrigeration.

Danfoss is urging for more attention to sustainable and energy-efficient cold-chain infrastructure, as 14 percent of global food loss is due to inadequate refrigeration. This issue is particularly evident in Sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 40 percent of food is lost between farms and markets, with two-thirds of this in the first mile.

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 9th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, which begins this week in Nairobi, Kenya, will focus on the need to encourage global action on energy efficiency.

Increasing temperatures, population expansion, urbanization, and growing wages are driving the increased need for cooling. According to the first-ever Global Cooling Watch Report, presented during last year’s COP28, cooling demand might treble by 2050. This would result in a doubling of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which is higher than the United States’ current total yearly greenhouse gas emissions.

The same report shows that driving efficiency in cold chain and refrigeration through minimum energy performance standards and passive cooling can deliver 30 percent of the required energy savings by 2050 while greatly reducing food loss and waste. This large energy saving is due to the 24-hour, year-long operation of refrigeration.

Astrid Mozes, President, Regions, Danfoss said, “The good news is that near zero emission cooling is possible. In fact, emissions in 2050 could be cut by 97 percent with readily available technology including state-of-the-art energy efficiency. Kenya is one country where sustainable business models and financing solutions are key to delivering sustainable and reliable cold chains.”

The Loss2Value Project in Kenya, launched by Danish Church Aid and Danfoss, is one such example of important work being done locally to establish a secure cold chain. The project’s objective is to reduce post-harvest losses by emphasizing the concrete value of energy-efficient cold storage to smallholder farmers and traders in Kenya and creating the ecosystem to make it a sustainable business case.

The project empowers Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and farmers to effect good change by implementing sustainable business models and financing options. This effort not only tackles urgent difficulties, but also helps to have a long-term and resilient influence on Kenya’s agricultural environment.