COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), the trade group representing nearly all refrigerant distributors and wholesalers in the refrigeration market, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC). NASRC is a nonprofit taking action to create a more climate-friendly future for supermarket refrigeration.

“We recognize the importance of supporting responsible energy consumption and understand the challenges of implementing sustainable practices in an established market,” said Jon Melchi, HARDI vice president government affairs & business development. “To that end, we fully support the NASRC and are proud to join them in their efforts to help sustainable refrigerants gain a foothold in the HVACR supply chain.”

Natural refrigerants include carbon dioxide (CO₂), ammonia (NH₃), and hydrocarbons like propane and isobutane. Compared to traditional fluorocarbon refrigerants, which are potent greenhouse gases, natural refrigerants are considered “climate-friendly,” with global warming potentials (GWP) at or very close to zero. Natural refrigerant technology also offers improved energy efficiency and often can save the end-user money in the long run.

“We’re very excited to welcome HARDI on board,” said Keilly Witman, owner of KW Refrigerant Management Strategy and a member of the NASRC board of directors. “The key to our success is bringing all industry stakeholders to the table, and HARDI brings a critical piece of the puzzle in the form of refrigerant wholesalers and distributors.”

NASRC’s members include service contractors, systems manufacturers, policy specialists, component manufacturers, retail food end-users, engineering firms, and now refrigerant distributors, dedicated to helping the supermarket industry transition to natural refrigerants.

“Natural refrigerants — as an entire suite of technologies — offer environmentally appealing solutions that can fit every store format, size and geographic location,” said Liz Whiteley, executive director of NASRC. “The catch is that right now there are hurdles in the marketplace that are preventing the widespread adoption of these technologies. Our mission is simple: address those hurdles and allow natural refrigerants to prove themselves as a climate-friendly, energy efficient solution for retail food refrigeration.”