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Wal-Mart is building a large eco-cold store facility in Canada. Business in Germany also invests in new cold storage houses. Even Aldi recognized the value of environmental protection. The Discounter is a pioneer in using new cooling trucks and converts the freezer at its stores to CO2.

US-retail giant Wal-Mart announced in February, it will build an energy- saving cold store in Balzac (Canada). At the 452,000 square foot storage facility, eco-friendly technologies are being tested. According to the company, the cold store will use 60 percent less energy than the usual Wal-Mart cold stores and will be the most energy efficient cold store in North-America.

The cold store is built next to the existing distributing warehouse. “Our ambitious goal is to build the most sustainable store distribution possible. Simultaneously, it should also deliver a quick Return on Investment,“ Andy Ellis, Senior Vice President for Logistics at Wal-Mart informs us. The building is lighted with LED lamps. The lamps use less electricity and produce less waste heat than previous lamps. For the first time ever, Wal-Mart wants to use a truck fleet, that uses hydro-electric power

In Germany, Aldi is an innovative pioneer in frozen food transport. In December, their central warehouse in Mönchengladbach received its first gas-powered truck from Daimler-Benz to supply its branches in the Ruhr Basin area. The “Econic“-semitrailer tractor with natural-gas engine has been awarded the “Blauer Umweltengel“ (The Blue- Angel- of- Environment- Award). Aldi reacted to city logistics requirements with narrow access roads, parking violators and increasing environmental regulations and driving bans in towns. The waste heat generated by the natural gas motors is powering the truck’s cooling system, which is responsible for cooling in the food trailer.

According to a report by “Lebensmittel-Zeitung“ (Food Magazine), Aldi Süd also wants to develop an Economy truck based on carbon fiber. Serial production is scheduled to begin in 2012. The Discounter declined an interview – as always when it comes to journalists. Instead on its Website, Aldi accounts in detail, why freezers at their stores are being converted to CO2.

René Schellbach

euroshop.de