How Trane Technologies is Driving Cold Chain Circularity
The UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says that in 2023, 25.9 million tonnes of waste were produced by the UK.
Out of this 25.9 million tonnes, England only recycled 44%, Northern Ireland recycled 50.2%, Scotland recycled 42.1% and Wales took the lead with 57%.
Circularity is a key ambition to help reduce waste which is why Trane Technologies is “continuing to create a system that keeps valuable resources in continuous circulation".
Ensuring product lifecycles
Trane states that by keeping products in circulation, it helps to curtail waste, reduce environmental impact, support supply chain decarbonisation and drive cost-effective growth.
The company aims to focus on using products and components multiple times for their intended purpose without creating significant modification, conserving valuable resources.
The Thermo King Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Program is the company’s way of informing a “frontline decarbonisation strategy” for commercial refrigerated transport.
“The Thermo King Certified Pre-Owned program helps our customers reduce their carbon footprint and allows them to make marketable statements about their sustainability that put them ahead of their competitors,” says Darius L. Bullock, Aftermarket Services Sales Manager at Thermo King.
Thermo King's circularity
Through the Thermo King CPO programme, reconditioned refrigeration units can be verified for a second life instead of entering the waste stream, allowing for immediate carbon footprint reduction.
The Thermo King programme was launched in 2023, in partnership with Trane Technologies dealer network, to increase the useful life of trailer refrigeration units through targeted service and component replacements.
Reconditioned units can be purchased by others or retained by their original owner.
The programme leverages a national framework, requiring all participating dealers to earn a certification before reconditioning equipment.
Dealers are expected to follow detailed service procedures, replacing specified components and completing thorough inspections.
All reconditioned units carry an added warranty for its remaining lifecycle.
“Our Thermo King team has developed a programme to get our equipment used for longer, extending the life from the typical seven years to more than ten,” says Jenelle Shapiro, Circularity & Sustainability Leader at Trane Technologies, on LinkedIn.
“The mismatch between the expected lifetime of a refrigeration unit and the lifetime of the transportation trailer itself, is an operational pain point for many fleet managers, but now the lifecycles align and less product is needed to be manufactured in the first place."
To date, the network has reconditioned nearly 150 trailer refrigeration units, by aligning the overhaul work with key hours-of-use thresholds, dealers can extend the service list by an extra 7-10 years.
By keeping cold-chain assets in use for longer, it shows how decarbonisation initiatives can also drive economic value.
