Whirlpool Corporation announced a next generation of refrigerators containing an insulating chemical expected to greatly reduce or eliminate depletion of the ozone layer. These zero GWP (global warming potential) appliances will address the manufacturer’s dilemma of how to produce ever more energy efficient products while reducing the use of insulators that are harmful.
Tom Catania, now Erb Institute Executive in Residence, was a sponsor of the project when he headed global public policy for Whirlpool and served on the company’s Refrigeration Global Product team.
“This project was conceived as one where the environmental issues associated with what the industry had been using in the past were addressed, while also conveying a first mover competitive advantage over others who were forced to compromise on energy efficiency or product cost when choosing previous generations of blowing agent solutions,” Catania said. Read more