EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There are approximately 64 million domestic refrigerator-freezers manufactured worldwide each year. The annual growth rate in the refrigerator sector, especially in rapidly developing countries like China, India and Indonesia is 15%, while the growth rate in industrialized countries is 7%. In addition, there are hundreds of millions of domestic refrigerator units in use worldwide.

Until recently, most domestic refrigerators were manufactured with the use of ozone depleting CFC-11 in the insulation, and CFC-12 as the refrigerant. In 1990, the combined total of CFC-11 and CFC-12 used in domestic refrigerators was approximately 40,000 metric tonnes.

In 1992, Greenpeace initiated the development of the world's first ozone safe refrigerator technology - Greenfreeze. Greenfreeze uses hydrocarbons as the blowing agent for the insulation foam, and for the refrigerant. Hydrocarbons are completely ozone friendly, and have minimal global warming potential.

Greenfreeze technology has revolutionized the domestic refrigeration industry. It has spread like prairie wild-fire throughout Western Europe and to other parts of the world, such as China and Latin America, with extensive interest from countries such as India, Cuba, Taiwan.

Greenfreeze technology is in direct competition for market share with HCFC-141b and HFC-134a technologies, which are environmentally unsustainable and technologically inferior.

Without the action of Greenpeace, the world would now be on a different course, heading for a future in which millions of consumers and businesses would be using chemicals which destroy the ozone layer and which cause global warming.