// Waitrose will use racing car technology to cut energy consumption in stores
// It will launch a new design of recyclable polycarbonate blades in its fridges
// The Wirth Research EcoBlade will reduce energy use of the refrigerators by up to 25%
Waitrose is set to launch a new design of recyclable blades in its fridges with the aim of making stores more energy efficient.
The grocer is placing polycarbonate blades to the front of its fridge shelving to reduce cold air being lost from the aisles.
The technology is similar to that used in racing cars, where the mechanism channels airflow more efficiently and enables them to take corners at higher speeds.
Waitrose said the Wirth Research EcoBlade will reduce the energy consumption of the supermarket’s refrigerators by up to 25 per cent.
Shoppers will feel warmer in the fridge aisles and it means there will be no reason to install fridge doors.
The EcoBlade is the first of its kind that Waitrose is working on as it looks to find new ways to cut energy consumption.
“We know there is always more to do, but applying this design means we’re motoring forward in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment,” Waitrose & Partners head of corporate social responsibility Tor Harris said.
“To deliver an energy saving of such significance through changing our shelf edging is fantastic and another example of how we continue to find innovative ways to achieve our goal to make our shops more sustainable.”
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