At the 2024 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit, retail, food service, and grocery (RFSG) sector partners and attendees explored best practices, strategies for overcoming barriers, and progress in energy efficiency and decarbonization.
Through Better Buildings and discussions with partners, DOE better understands the most pressing topics for building owners and operators working to enable energy-efficient and low-carbon buildings. At Summit, RFSG attendees focused on:
- Heat pumps and HVAC electrification
- Low global warming potential refrigerants
- High-footprint small buildings
- Engaging franchisees, vendors, and suppliers in energy efficiency and emissions reduction strategy
- Financing vehicles and associated challenges
Read on for an overview of sessions highlighting RFSG sector partners and allies.
2024 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit Opening Plenary
As part of the opening plenary, DOE convened an executive panel featuring leaders from the commercial real estate, retail, and industrial sectors, including IKEA US RETAIL LLC. IKEA spoke about the company’s projects in renewable heating, solar carports, and EV infrastructure. Watch the plenary recording here to learn how IKEA plans to meet and beat its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
People Power: How Employee Engagement and Behavioral Changes Impact Sustainability
Sustainability efforts are most successful when they have buy-in at all levels of an organization. From executive leadership to on-the-ground technicians, partner The Wendy’s Company discussed how its Energy Challenge program drives cultural change for portfolio-wide decarbonization, energy efficiency, and other sustainability work. Core sustainability values, internal company recognition, and rewards for high-performing teams all played a crucial role in Wendy’s embedding sustainability into its organizational structure. Learn more here.
Wendy’s was also awarded a 2024 Better Practice Award for the Energy Challenge program’s success in engaging franchisees in energy-efficient practices that also drive significant cost reductions. Learn more here.
15 to Phasedown: Best Practices for Replacing HFCs with Low-GWP Refrigerants
In this session, partner IKEA US RETAIL LLC shared how it is incorporating low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants into its refrigeration and HVAC systems. Through drop-in and retrofit replacements, IKEA is working to balance equipment efficiency and refrigerant GWP to decarbonize its refrigeration systems. At the same time, IKEA US RETAIL LLC shared its work to address challenges in complying with local building performance standards and regulations. Learn more about the hydrofluorocarbons phasedown and how partners have implemented low-GWP refrigerants here.
Telling Your Decarbonization Success Story
Sharing success in efficiency and emissions reduction can be challenging. It’s a complex topic, and organizations need to cut through the clutter of climate news and sustainability announcements. Partner Albertson’s highlighted examples of how the company has turned its decarbonization work into PR success, earning organization recognition along the way. Learn more about sharing your organization’s success in efficiency and emissions reduction here.
Navigating the Landscape of Waste Management and Reuse
Partner IKEA US RETAIL LLC shared implementation strategies for waste reduction, reuse, and the adoption of emerging technologies in its company circularity program. IKEA featured a company case study of its buy back and resell service, which provides customers easy access to the secondhand marketplace. This service supports IKEA’s goal to become a circular business by 2030. Learn more about partners’ waste reduction efforts here.
Commercial Sector Meetup
In the meeting specifically for RFSG, partners and allies discussed their sustainability activities and how the sector could best collaborate to find solutions on heat pump integration, electrifying HVAC, and high-footprint small buildings. To address this need, DOE is leveraging the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator to accelerate the development and adoption of heat pump packaged rooftop units to achieve integrated energy efficiency and electrification of buildings. In addition, the Smarter Small Buildings Campaign supports partners with small buildings to implement building controls for greater efficiency and receive additional resources and peer engagement.
Learn more about the RFSG sector and access sector-specific solutions here.