United States.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the imposition of a $500,000 fine on U.S. retailer Trader Joe's for violating the Clean Air Act by failing to quickly repair R22 leaks.
In a proposal in agreement with the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act, Trader Joe has committed to reducing emissions of potent greenhouse gases from refrigeration equipment in its 453 stores.
The U.S. deal will see Trader Joe's invest about $2 million over the next three years to reduce refrigerant leaks from refrigerators and improve overall compliance.
"Some of the refrigerants currently in use by trader Joe's are up to 4,700 times more potent than carbon dioxide," said Alexis Strauss, EAP representative. Strauss said the deal would affect all new and existing Trader Joe's stores to prevent the release of about 31,000 metric tons of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases.
The deal requires Trader Joe's to reach an average annual corporate-level leakage rate of 12.1% from now until 2019, which is below the supermarket sector which has a current average of 25%. The chain of stores must also use non-ozone-depleting refrigerants in all new stores and major remodels and at least 15 of these stores must use CO2.
