UK petition seeks to ban open fridges
21st July 2019
UK: A petition to ban open fridges and freezers in UK supermarkets has received over 22,000 signatures.
The petition was posted on the UK Parliament petitions website (e-petitions) last month by Jonathan Golding, a 28-year-old doctor from Brighton, Sussex.
“Retailers in the United Kingdom unnecessarily waste huge amounts of energy on open fridges and freezers,” the petition states. “Climate change threatens our planet. If all supermarkets had doors on their fridges and freezers it would save energy the equivalent of the entire residential population of Poland.”
The petitions website allows members of the public to create and support petitions for consideration by the UK government. Having already exceeded 10,000 signatures, the government must now respond to the petition. All petitions which receive 100,000 signatures are considered for a parliamentary debate.
Golding told Metro.co.uk he was in a branch of Itsu at Gatwick Airport when he had the idea. “I was already annoyed because I had been given a plastic knife and fork,” he said. ‘I looked and saw a fridge in the corner of my eye, which was open.” He submitted the petition to try and stop this, saying: “Time is running out for the planet and changes in our own lives can only take us so far. Big companies need to make an input as well.”
The petition will close on 14 December.
The fitting of doors on supermarket refrigeration and freezer cabinets has been the subject of much discussion in recent years. While tests have proven the energy-saving benefits of fitting doors to all fridges, some retailers insist they act as a barrier to the customer, impacting sales. They, and others, also dispute the potential savings, some claiming that design changes can significantly improve efficiency.
Related stories:
Study sees fridge doors as sales barrier – 28 March 2018
UK: Initial studies carried out by one of the UK’s leading shopper research companies has revealed that doors on supermarket refrigerators do inhibit shoppers. Read more…
Refrigerator doors – an open and shut case? – 18 January 2017
UK: A leading commercial refrigeration manufacturer has claimed that retail display cabinets with glass doors will struggle to maintain temperature In busy stores, with frequent door openings. Read more…
CGF backs retrofitting of cabinet doors – 15 December 2017
FRANCE: The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has again highlighted the energy efficiency benefits of adding doors to commercial refrigeration cabinets. Read more…
Efficient fridges reduce German retailer costs – 12 January 2016
GERMANY: More efficient refrigeration and LED lighting helped reduce energy costs in the German retail food industry by 5% in 2015. Read more…
