Refrigeration technologies to increase cold chain sustainability

The cold chain is an essential system of temperature-controlled logistics that ensures the quality and safety of perishable goods. Refrigeration technologies in the chain, which mostly use vapour-compression refrigeration, have large direct and indirect negative environmental impacts linked to high energy consumption and the use of refrigerants with high global warming potential. This Review examines the technical and environmental challenges of refrigeration systems used in transport (road, sea and air) and stationary applications (refrigerated warehouses and retail stores). Across applications, refrigerants with low global warming potential, phase-change materials and vacuum-insulation panels could be used to reduce energy consumption and emissions, with some demonstrations showing reductions of 25–86%. In road transport, photovoltaic-powered refrigeration and hybrid cooling systems could be implemented to reduce emissions but adoption is impeded by high costs and safety concerns. Improved thermal insulation and waste-heat recovery for fresh transportation could be used in sea transport. Advanced energy management and renewable energy integration could be leveraged in stationary storage to reduce emissions by up to 60% and enable off-grid refrigeration. In all of these applications, operational reliability must be maintained, which will require coordinated industry efforts and policy support.