ChillVenta NürnbergMesse – U-3ARC Participation « Together for Sustainable and Safe Refrigeration »

Invited to the ChillVenta 2024 Regional Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, held from October 8 to 10, 2024, U-3ARC was represented by Saïd El Harch, Secretary General, who exchanged with his European peers, gathered within AREA on the theme "Together for Sustainable and Safe Refrigeration."

The Editorial Staff

Now, more than ever, Europe-Africa collaboration in the RAC sector is of paramount importance. This is the opinion of Mr. Saïd El Harch, Secretary General U-3ARC, who represented the Pan-African Union of African Associations of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Actors at the Nuremberg Fair in Germany. After a quick overview of the state of play, with a particular overview of the growing demand for refrigeration in Africa, the importance of refrigeration in the agriculture, food security and health sectors, the environmental and security challenges of refrigeration… he emphasized the role of this collaboration. The aim is to achieve sustainable solutions, he told the audience.

For SG of U-3ARC, a vision for sustainable refrigeration practices in the long term would benefit from being better shared. From the foundations of such a roadmap, there would be many benefits from the creation of safer and greener refrigeration systems for all and an invitation to additional commitment and partnerships to support the initiative.

A win-win collaboration

Based on reliable sources from the IFF to make an uncompromising assessment of the state of the sector in Africa, Saïd El Harch highlighted limited infrastructure for modern refrigeration systems, a heavy reliance on outdated and energy-inefficient systems, a lack of widespread adoption of low-GWP refrigerants and low cold storage capacity in Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (estimated at around 19 litres/inhabitant compared to 200 litres/inhabitant for developed countries). Only 22 of the 54 countries on the continent have a functional cold chain for vaccines requiring storage between 2°C and 8°C, thanks to the performance of North African countries, according to IIR and Brookings, he added. He nevertheless revealed emerging opportunities in the agri-food, fisheries and cold chain sectors, deploring in passing annual food losses for fruits and vegetables, estimated at 40 to 50%. Such an observation calls for a partnership for research and development of solutions adapted to Africa in the cold chain. This cooperation would involve joint R&D projects, focused on low-cost and energy-efficient (ER) solutions, the development of technologies to meet Africa's specific climate challenges, or the exploitation of European innovation for the needs of the African market. For this U-3ARC Expert, the encouragement of local African innovation (aligned with standards), with the support of European partners, should be examined.

A common plan against dumping

Faced with a high potential market, stakeholders would ensure awareness of the dangers of importing obsolete refrigeration technologies. Advocating for stricter import regulations and enforcement, as well as joint monitoring and reporting on illegal dumping activities, will help achieve the goals of sustainable and safe refrigeration. Together, African and European technicians and refrigeration engineers must promote the adoption of sustainable and safe alternatives, knowing that between 2013 and 2020, more than 60,000 used units were seized in Ghana, according to the SG of U-3ARC.

In view of this situation, Said El Harch called for immediate action. In his view, there is an urgent need to adopt sustainable refrigeration technologies to combat climate change, without forgetting to train technicians to use flammable products and sustainable refrigerants. He then called for training more technicians on alternative refrigerants and refrigeration safety. Immediate collaboration on standards, training and technology transfer, particularly in the transfer of expertise on natural refrigerants (R-290, CO2, ammonia). Finally, he advocated an unwavering commitment to a sustainable refrigeration future shared between Europe and Africa.