presents
Leaking Havoc in New York City
Invisible Climate Pollution in Gristedes
Invisible Climate Pollution in Gristedes
presents
Leaking Havoc in New York City
Invisible Climate Pollution in Gristedes
Photo Credit: Ajay Suresh, modified
Gristedes is one of the most common and well-known supermarket chains across New York City, with 19 store locations primarily in Manhattan. Gristedes, together with D’Agostino’s, another common NYC grocer, are privately owned by Red Apple Group, a conglomerate with subsidiaries in real estate, media, and the petroleum industry.3 Gristedes has a history of ridiculing4 and violating New York City’s plastic bag ban.5 To our knowledge, neither Red Apple Group nor Gristedes have made public commitments or goals to reduce HFCs or other greenhouse gases. Gristedes does not make public any information about its refrigerant management practices or leak rates, nor is there any information regarding the company taking steps to adopt more climate-friendly technologies6 to replace HFCs.
"If you encounter any significant gas – 2 ppm or more – I would strongly suggest that you start looking in earnest for what might be a major leak in the case. Always keep in mind that leaks are going to be at dispersion. So, 2 parts per million in the front of this case could be a much greater leak as the air mixes and disperses throughout the unit. So any gas at all is an indicator that you have some kind of leak in process"
– Instructional Video by Bacharach, Manufacturer of PGM-IR Portable Leak Detector7
Ozone depleting refrigerants, such as R12 and R22, are subject to Clean Air Act regulations8 which require supermarkets to track their leak rates, and repair them if they exceed 20% of the total quantity of refrigerant in the system in a given year. The owners of these systems are also required to keep records of the servicing of these systems to show they are following these rules.
While the information uncovered by our investigation cannot determine conclusively the type or quantity of refrigerants leaked in a specific store, or whether the leaks detected represent a violation of these federal requirements, our organizations have notified relevant authorities of our findings. Furthermore, all seven Gristedes stores visited during the investigation contained some refrigerated cases that were not properly labeled as containing a specific refrigerant, indicating that any of the seven stores could also contain ozone depleting refrigerants.
Our team could only detect refrigerant leaks from the display cases accessible to customers. We were unable to access the large storage cold rooms, machine rooms, rooftop cooling units, and other equipment where the EPA estimates 79% of supermarket leaks occur.9 We therefore cannot rule out the possibility of additional leaks, especially in locations off limits to customers and in stores we did not visit.
Shortly following our investigation, we sent a letter to Gristedes notifying the company of the leaks discovered in their stores and urging them to take prompt action. Gristedes did not respond to the letter or subsequent follow up requesting a meeting to discuss our findings.
Supermarkets like Gristedes would be wise to future-proof their stores from increasing climate regulations by adopting HFC-free alternatives and shoring up their refrigeration management.
HFCs were invented to replace ozone-depleting substances previously used in cooling systems. While HFCs do not damage the ozone layer, they can be thousands of times worse for the climate when compared to CO2. As short-lived climate pollutants with atmospheric lifetimes around 15 years, reducing HFC emissions can deliver fast reductions in global warming, preventing up to 0.5°C this century.
The United States has joined more than 140 other countries in phasing down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment, with ratifying the agreement with broad bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.14 The American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM Act) of 2020 authorizes new federal regulations to implement the phasedown.15 The EPA has issued a proposed rule to ban the use of HFCs above a GWP of 150 for most new supermarket refrigeration systems,16 and is expected to issue another proposed rule in 2023 to regulate HFC leaks from equipment including supermarkets.
Accelerating the global phasedown of HFCs is necessary to meet our climate goals under the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to under 1.5°C.17 And federal HFC regulations are unlikely to be enough to meet targets under more ambitious climate laws on the books in many states, including New York. Some states such as California18 and Washington have already adopted more ambitious HFC reduction targets and regulations. Recently passed California legislation bans the sale of many HFCs entirely, including those commonly found in supermarkets such as R404A. Washington state is in the process of implementing a Refrigerant Management Program to control leaks in large cooling systems such as supermarkets, which will require leak detection and repair.
Gristedes must take immediate action to stop these refrigerant leaks and improve their overall refrigerant management.27 This should include, for example, joining EPA’s GreenChill Partnership to adopt leak management best practices or installing automatic leak detection systems. We also urge Gristedes to develop a strategy and time-bound public commitment to transition stores to HFC-free refrigeration systems.
Failure to fix its leaky equipment comes at a high cost to the planet and Gristedes’ bottomline. Gristedes must make the common sense and climate-friendly choice of fixing its leaks and retrofitting its stores for an HFC-free future.
EIA and 350NYC urge government officials in New York to move swiftly to implement the recommendations in NY state’s climate roadmap regarding HFCs. The supermarket and retail sector must be a major focus of these efforts, including improved regulations on leak management, replication of laws in other states such as California’s SB1206, and incentive programs to accelerate replacement of existing HFC systems.
As the new year begins, we hope you’ll beware of spending your shopping dollars at a store using climate-polluting refrigerants. Learn how to investigate your store to find out if it uses HFCs, and if it does, find an HFC-free store near you on the climate-friendly supermarkets map.
As for us in 2023, we’re ready to keep investigating climate pollution across the country and raising awareness about the invisible super pollutants leaking in your grocery aisles. The EIA leak detector’s road trip from Washington, D.C. to New York City may be just the beginning. Whose supermarket will we be leak detecting in next?