Maersk Container Industry calls on the European Commission to toughen up the enforcement of legislation designed to protect the ozone layer
February 8, 2013
Maersk Container Industry (MCI) is calling for tougher enforcement of European environmental legislation designed to protect the ozone layer.
The container manufacturing unit of the AP Moller-Maersk Group has urged
the European Commission better enforce existing EU legislation regarding insulation foam in reefer containers.
While current EU legislation bans the ‘import’ or ‘placing on the market’ of reefer containers with significant potential to damage the climate and ozone layer,
thousands of such containers continue to circulate in Europe’s internal market according to MCI CEO Peter Nymand.
Nymand
claims
this undermines innovation and product developments such as Maersk Container Industry’s SuPoTec, which he says does not damage the earth’s ozone layer.
“We believe the EU regulation 1005/2009, which bans environmentally damaging reefers, was made with good intentions, but the law could function better and further minimise the risk of damage to the earth’s climate and ozone layer,” Nymand says.
“We suspect there is no actual enforcement of EU regulation 1005/2009.
“Thousands of old reefer containers remain in circulation in Europe, operating in a legal grey zone because the European Commission gives a grace period if the containers are not ‘placed on the market, permanently.
“Therefore, MCI’s competitors have so far not had to make the same investments in environmental reefers that we have. This neither benefits European innovation, nor the climate.”
Nymand adds EU regulation 1005/2009 has not helped decrease world demand for the type of reefer container insulation foam (HCFC141b) which is damaging to the ozone layer.
He claims HCFC141b has global warming potential (GWP) of 725, meaning it is 725 times more climate-damaging than CO2.
“Such containers can be made at lower cost, and more generally, international investigations, including the EU Commission’s own, have uncovered illegal trade in HCFC gasses,” Nymand says.
“We urge the EU Commission to ensure enforcement of EU regulation 1005/2009 and give incentives to phase out HCFC141b reefers.”
Nymand admits the company’s call for improvements to the legislation is partly motivated by the desire to sell more containers.
“But in this case, MCI’s SuPoTec insulation foam technology is good news for European innovation and for the global environment,” he says.
“Each container with SuPoTec prevents almost 27 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
“By 1 January 2013, total SuPoTec production has offset CO2 emissions equal to the annual emissions of 441,000 Danish citizens.”