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Hoshizaki to Launch 68 Models of Natural Refrigerant1-Based Refrigerators and Freezers in the Value Price Range
Making a Major Contribution to Reducing Environmental Impact by Substantially Lowering Global Warming Potential
HOSHIZAKI CORPORATION (Head office: Toyoake City, Aichi; Representative Director, President & COO: Yasuhiro Kobayashi; hereafter “Hoshizaki”) will commence sales of 68 models of commercial refrigerators and freezers that use natural refrigerants1 in late May 2023. The 44 refrigerator models and 24 freezer models are all in the value price range and will be sold through Hoshizaki’s sales companies.
SDGs and Related Developments Spurring Greater Interest in Eco-Friendly Products
HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer but, as greenhouse gases, have an extremely high global warming potential (GWP) ranging from several tens of times to more than ten thousand times that of carbon dioxide (CO2).2 Therefore, international society at large has shown a growing interest in the shift from HFCs to HFC-free alternatives.3 Moreover, in Japan, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being more actively addressed and awareness of environmental issues is increasing at an accelerating pace.
In 2022, Hoshizaki began taking orders in Japan for natural refrigerant-based commercial refrigerators and freezers that use substances originally found in nature. New models were exhibited at the Japan Food Service Equipment Show held in February of this year for the reference of prospective customers, and they attracted significantly more attention than in the previous year. Hoshizaki subsequently began receiving inquiries from major chain stores and other potential customers.
Lowering Environmental Impact by Reducing Life Cycle GHG Emissions
Hoshizaki announced in February of this year that it will be transitioning all4 of its standard commercial refrigerators and freezers for the domestic market to natural refrigerants by the end of 2024. The company is now enhancing its lineup by launching 68 models of upright refrigerators and freezers. The models all have a height of 1910 millimeters.
With the prices of materials and other products rising recently5, Hoshizaki has carried out research and development aimed at setting prices at levels that make it easier for customers to purchase high value-added products. Specifically, the company has kept the standard price for its natural refrigerant-based refrigerators and freezers to just 105% of conventional HFC-based models.
This wide-ranging lineup and value pricing make it even easier for customers to opt for environmentally-friendly models.
Natural refrigerants have extremely low global warming potential6 compared to HFCs. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout a product’s life cycle and thereby contribute to lowering environmental impact. Products using natural refrigerants are outside the scope of the Act on Rational Use and Proper Management of Fluorocarbons (Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act) , so there is no need to make simple equipment inspections or report leaks, which can be expected to reduce the procedural burden on customers.
Hoshizaki will continue working to reduce environmental impact through its products with a view to being an “evolving company” that can contribute to society.
Commercial Natural
Refrigerant-Based
Refrigerator
■Lineup of Products to Be Launched：（All have a height of 1910 mm)
| Category | Models | Width | Depth | Power | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 44 | 625mm - 1800mm | Thick/thin | Single-/Three-phase | Pillar less7 |
| Freezer | 24 | 625mm - 1200mm | Thick/thin | Single-/Three-phase | Pillar less |
■Prices: (Representative models only. All have a height of 1910 mm and depth of 650 mm)
| Category | Width | Standard price (excl. tax)（Model） |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 625㎜ | 996,000JPY（HR-63NAT） |
| 750㎜ | 1,065,000JPY（HR-75NAT） | |
| 900㎜ | 1,194,000JPY（HR-90NAT） | |
| 1200㎜ | 1,200,000JPY（HR-120NAT） | |
| 1500㎜ | 1,481,000JPY（HR-150NAT） | |
| 1800㎜ | 1,539,000JPY（HR-180NAT） | |
| Freezer | 625㎜ | 1,152,000JPY（HF-63NAT） |
| 750㎜ | 1,267,000JPY（HF-75NAT） | |
| 900㎜ | 1,423,000JPY（HF-90NAT） | |
| 1200㎜ | 1,558,000JPY（HF-120NAT） |
Based Freezer
HF-75NAT
1. Natural refrigerants refer to substances that exist naturally in the environment and are used as coolants for freezing and air conditioning. These eco-friendly refrigerants have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero and a very low global warming potential (GWP). The GWP is a value indicating the potential of a greenhouse gas to warm the earth when the value for carbon dioxide (CO2) is set at 1.
2. Information cited from the Ministry of the Environment’s portal site on the Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act (in Japanese).
3. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which entered into force in January 1989, has undergone several amendments. In October 2016, the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol held in Kigali, Rwanda, amended this international agreement to make mandatory systemized cuts to the production and consumption of HFCs due to the high greenhouse effect (the Kigali Amendment). Today, 148 countries and the EU have ratified, accepted, or approved the Kigali Amendment (as of May 10, 2023, according to the United Nations website). Japan accepted the Kigali Amendment in December 2018. In 2019, Japan added HFCs as specified substances under the Act on the Protection of the Ozone Layer Through the Control of Specified Substances, etc. and Other Measures and revised its Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act.
4. Excludes some derivative models (specialty models with applications that differ from standard refrigerators and freezers).
5. The 2022 Domestic Corporate Price Index put out by the Bank of Japan, which shows price trends for products bought and sold between companies, was up 9.7% year on year.
6. Among Hoshizaki’s standard lineup of refrigerators and freezers, HFC-based models currently use R134a and natural refrigerant-based models use isobutane and propane. On the UN Environmental Programme’s OzonAction Kigali Fact Sheet 3, their GWP values are, respectively, 1430 (R134a), 3 (isobutane) and 3 (propane).
7. There are no pillars dividing the inside of the compartment.