Washington, DC October 3, 2024 – The Global Food Cold Chain Council (GFCCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction are convening for the fourth annual World Cold Chain Symposium on Oct. 26, 2024, sponsored by Carrier Global Corporation. The program will be held at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, ahead of the 36th Montreal Protocol Meeting of the Parties. The theme for this year’s event is Building a Sustainable Cold Chain, to highlight the different facets that coalesce to create a sustainable cold chain from start to finish. Participants and speakers will include diverse high-level expert representatives from the private sector, government, international organizations, academia and non-profit organizations. A recording of the session will be available after the event.
This year’s Symposium will highlight the end-to-end development of a sustainable cold chain, including: data gathering and modeling to establish the best practices for an entity’s local and regional needs, the development of financing mechanisms for implementation, human capacity building to ensure the longevity of both technology and processes, and the technology needed at all levels. This holistic approach, which will examine from all sides the necessary components for the development of a sustainable cold chain, takes the high-level concepts from previous Symposiums and combines them into a realistic discussion on the concrete key actions needed to begin the building of a cold chain.
The sessions comprising the Symposium include:
- The Impact and Benefits of the Cold Chain
- Technology for Cold Chains – Connecting the Dots
- Training and Servicing Issues – Challenges and Opportunities
- Momentum in Financing Opportunities and Mechanisms
As cooling and cold chains gain more recognition internationally, the examination of the different pieces of the puzzle coming together to build sustainable cold chains is key to its expansion. The Symposium is one of several important international events that explore all the areas of importance in cooling and cold chain implementation, including notably this year’s Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund Executive Committee Meetings, the Montreal Protocol Open-Ended Working Group Meeting, and the upcoming 36th Montreal Protocol Meeting of the Parties (MOP36), 29th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29), and others. Last year, the dialogue progressed through the United Nations Food Systems Summit, MOP35, and COP28. The Symposium and its sponsors plan continue the dialogue and provide more context to the challenges and opportunities of developing a sustainable cold chain ahead of the upcoming events.
“The expansion of sustainable cold chain activities as a means of reducing food loss and waste and greenhouse gas emissions has been gaining momentum internationally, and as more focus is placed on the topic, more opportunities arise,” said Kevin Fay, Executive Director of the Global Food Cold Chain Council (GFCCC). “GFCCC and our co-sponsors are excited to highlight these activities through the 2024 World Cold Chain Symposium as the world moves to promote an environmentally sustainable and economically feasible cold chain expansion.”
For event information, including registration for the program and reception, please visit wccs.performedia.com or email dobson@foodcoldchain.org.
UNEP is an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. OzonAction’s goal is to enable developing countries to meet and sustain their compliance obligations under the treaty.
GFCCC is an independent not-for-profit industry organization that seeks to simultaneously reduce food waste, and related greenhouse gas emissions in the processing, transportation, storage, and retail display of cold food by expanding and improving access to energy efficient low-global warming potential technology.
