New steps to reduce Greenhouse Gases

Red Funnel, on its quest to further reduce its environmental footprint has replaced its catering refrigeration units ahead of new legislation which is expected in 2020.

The new Greenlogic chiller units, manufactured by Williams Refrigeration have been installed by Atlantic Refrigeration across Red Funnel’s ro-pax fleet of ferries. They use a new refrigerant called R449A which has zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The new R449A powered units provide a 63.8% reduction in GWP and 64.4% reduction in CO2 across the fleet compared to the old units which used R404a refrigerant. In addition, the new Greenlogic units consume 40% less energy than the previous models making them one of the most energy efficient and sustainable commercial refrigeration products on the market. The installation was also environmentally friendly as a new compression tool eliminated the need for 90% of the braised hot works.

Other recent environmental initiatives taken by the original cross-Solent carrier which was recently accredited with the environmental standard ISO14001:2015, include a major trial of Biofuel in place of low-Sulphur marine gas oil for main engines and generators, the purchase of electric powered vehicles, replacement of the Quayconnect bus with a new Euro 6 compliant vehicle in September, the use of low energy lighting, improved recycling with no waste going to land-fill and the pilot use of a recycled drinks cup for staff which could be rolled out to customers if successful.

Red Funnel is also committed to finding solutions to other single use plastic items and is taking part and financially supporting, the biggest ever clean-up of the Isle of Wight’s 67 miles of beaches and estuaries over the weekend 22-23 September. This environmental initiative is an integral part of the community focused Isle of Wight Day 2018.

For more information about Red Funnel please visit www.redfunnel.co.uk/environment