At FUKUSHIMA GALILEI, we acknowledge that making our operations environmentally friendly is a crucial task. We are committed to continuously and actively implementing initiatives that consider and reduce our environmental impact.
The GALILEI Group has the purpose of “Lead the way for the future of food and life.” Among material issues, we place primary importance on “Taking actions to combat climate change,” considering the impact on our business continuity, and from the standpoint of protecting life on the earth as declared in our purpose. To this end, we have adopted the sustainable vision “Dramatic Future 2050” since June 2021.
〜 The GALILEI Group is pioneering a future that inspires everyone. 〜
Sustainability for the GALILEI Group means achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions in all stages from production to consumption of food. The GALILEI Group will continue taking on every challenge for the future of food and life with the belief that these efforts will lead the way toward an exciting future for all of us.
The GALILEI Group has the “Environment Vision 2050,” aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a carbon-free society by 2050 with the goal of passing on a sustainable global environment to future generations.
The GALILEI Group has the “Environment Vision 2050,” aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a carbon-free society by 2050 with the goal of passing on a sustainable global environment to future generations. The GALILEI Group has also developed the “Environment Action 2030,” our mid-term targets for 2030, and is making a concerted effort to promote the four key initiatives.
TCFD-related Financial Disclosures
As we move toward a carbon-free society, the GALILEI Group is working to reduce the use of fluorocarbon gases, one of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and to prevent refrigerant gas leaks. To continue being an environmentally friendly company, we are stepping up our efforts to reduce the use of chemical substances including fluorocarbon gases and enhance chemical management.
Global Warming Potential, abbreviated as “GWP,” is a measure of global warming potential of refrigerant gas as compared with carbon dioxide which is assigned a value of 1. For example, R404A, fluorocarbon gas used in general commercial refrigerators and freezers, has a GWP of 3,920, which means, if released to the air, it contributes approximately 4,000 times as much as carbon dioxide to global warming.
* Refrigerants’ global warming potentials (GWP) are calculated on a weighted average basis.
In an effort to transition to greener refrigerants, since October 2023 we have been committed to developing and manufacturing products using R1234rf*, a CFC-free refrigerant. In April 2024, we completed the transition for a full range of commercial refrigerators and freezers ahead of all others in the industry. We will continue the efforts toward making all our products CFC-free. *R1234yf is a non-toxic, slightly flammable refrigerant with an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) of 0 and a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1. R1234yf is safe to handle and allows on-site repair and inspection of equipment.
R744 (CO2), a natural refrigerant with a GWP of 1, is a non-flammable and safe refrigerant. With the enforcement of the Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act in April 2015, we have been proactively using natural refrigerants in our refrigerated and freezer showcases. Since the first launch of the Axia-Zero system containing a CO2 freezer in February 2015, we have supplied approximately 2,400 units of CO2 freezers with a total capacity of 16,000 horsepower as of June 2024. In 2022, we developed our own-brand CO2 refrigeration system, NORBAC, and increased sales steadily to 13 units in 2023. As for plug-in type products, we have started manufacturing plug-in reach-in showcases with R744 refrigerant since August 2023.
As part of the efforts to improve the environmental performance of our products, we have been committed to developing innovative technologies to address emissions of fluorocarbon gases used as blowing agents in thermal insulating material. Since 2016, we have been manufacturing CFC-free ice-makers using an HFO blowing agent. In 2017, we introduced a method of manufacturing CFC-free insulating material into commercial refrigerators and refrigerated and freezer showcases and successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In July 2020, we have completed transition to CFC-free blowing agents used in thermal insulating material in the entire GALILEI Group.
In April 2024, we launched a 10-year refrigerant gas leak warranty for upright and horizontal commercial refrigerators and freezers and ice makers with a CFC-free refrigerant, R1234yf. The warranty provides a 10-year coverage for repairs resulting from refrigerant gas leaks. The warranty has also been applied to all plug-in type products manufactured by FUKUSHIMA GALILEI since April 2025. We have also started to offer a maintenance contract with a 10-year refrigerant gas leak warranty for equipment manufactured and installed by us such as in supermarkets, retail stores, and logistics facilities. The contract covers cooling failures caused by refrigerant gas leaks and resulting repair costs for 10 years.
10-year warranty against refrigerant gas leaks
FUKUSHIMA GALILEI has started offering a smart diagnosis service by which it detects signs of refrigerant gas leaks from remote-type equipment installed in stores by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies. By helping our customers avoid unexpected repairs of equipment and prevent food loss and loss of sales opportunities, we aim to be a Zero Call Company for our customers. Our smart diagnosis system complies with the “Guidelines for leakage detection systems for fluorinated gases from commercial refrigerating and air conditioning appliances by continuous monitoring (JRA GL-17),” a standard issued by the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association. The system detects refrigerating/freezing cycle malfunctions including refrigerant leaks at an early stage and alerts users, contributing to early detection and actions against possible problems.
* Zero Call Company An initiative to carry out the concept that FUKUSHIMA GALILEI detects and addresses a possible problem with equipment before it malfunctions and that eliminates calls from customers who request support to solve a malfunction of their equipment.
Since before the Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act went into effect, the main business locations of the GALILEI Group have obtained ISO 14001 certification. With emphasis on preventing fluorocarbon gas leaks as an important issue, the EMS Promotion Committee makes a list of equipment using fluorocarbon gases and performs regular inspections and maintenance of that equipment based on the management list to prevent leaks of fluorocarbon gases. The amount of fluorocarbon gas leaks from manufacturing by the GALILEI Group was 75.7 tons of CO2-equivalent in 2024, falling below the national reporting requirement of “1,000 tons of CO2-equivalent.”
Paint and organic solvents, which are used extensively in our manufacturing processes, are the designated chemical substances under the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) system* and subject to on-site management and recording of the usage amount. In the painting process, waste liquid from boiler systems, pre-treatment systems and paint spray booths had been disposed of as waste alkali via an industrial waste disposal contractor. In October 2010, we introduced a neutralization system to treat waste alkali from boiler systems in our factories, reducing the emissions of waste alkali. The neutralization system undergoes inspection as part of daily management and is operated under the monitoring system which detects any failure immediately upon occurrence. Waste thinner from the painting process is recycled by an industrial waste disposal contractor and reused in the factories. Through these efforts, we have successfully reduced the amount of waste paint and waste organic solvent to zero since November 2010. In 2024, we introduced CFC-free refrigerant as a replacement for HFC refrigerant used in our products and changed the methylene chloride-based (dichloromethane) cleaner for blowing agent to ABZOL cleaner. This reduced the use of fluorocarbon gases by 50% from the year before. We will promote further efforts to prevent environmental pollution.
*The PRTR system is intended to promote voluntary management of chemical substances by business operators and prevent environmental pollution. The system requires business operators to report the amounts of chemical substances released into the environment (air, water and soil) imposing risks to human health or ecosystems.
Waste alkali neutralization system (Okayama Factory)
The GALILEI Group is committed to developing products and services with higher environmental performance to offer more environmentally-friendly products and services for our customers and reducing environmental impact throughout the supply chain toward creating a carbon-free society. To measure the environmental impact of our products throughout their lifecycle and continue developing environmentally friendly products, we conduct life cycle assessment (LCA) on our major products to assess their environmental impact. We also work to improve our ability to design more environmentally friendly products and services by making comparisons between new and old products.
Throughout the life cycle of a product, we offer products with superior environmental performance to reduce CO2 emissions while promoting the transition to products with less environmental impact. Our specific efforts include the LCA of our major models※, which we have performed for many years. ※Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method that quantitatively assesses the environmental impacts of the entire life cycle of a product or service (from resource extraction, raw material production, product production, distribution and consumption through disposal and recycling) or of a specific stage of the life cycle.
・Upright refrigerators
・Upright refrigerators(LRC-120RX)
・Plug-in type showcases
inverter-controlled, multi-level open-spot showcase
Commercial refrigerators and freezers and commercial refrigerated and freezer showcases need to remain powered in order to store chilled and frozen food products. This results in a considerable increase in GHG emissions generated from the equipment while it is in use. FUKUSHIMA GALILEI’s efforts to reduce the power consumed by its products while they are in use can make a significant contribution to reducing their GHG emissions. On the other hand, while GHG emissions generated in the raw materials procurement, production, and disposal processes account for a relatively small portion of total emissions generated in the entire product life cycle, they are still substantial if the total production volume is considered. We will, therefore, continue to perform Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and apply the assessment findings to our product development and business activities. This will enable us to develop and offer products with superior environmental performance, ensuring that their GHG emissions are managed throughout their life cycles.
The GALILEI Group positions “Promoting effective use of resources” as one of our key themes. We are committed to preventing environmental pollution, reducing use of resources such as water, extending the service life of our products, minimizing waste emissions from manufacturing sites, and improving recycling rates of used products and parts.
In the manufacturing processes, water is used for limited purposes such as indirect cooling and not used in large quantities in any processes. Our factories are located in areas less prone to drought and use tap water, industrial water and groundwater depending on the circumstances in individual areas. The factories treat wastewater in an appropriate manner and discharge it into sewers and public waters.
We are actively making efforts to improve manufacturing yields, such as metal and plastic chips, reduce defective products in manufacturing processes, and enhance inventory management. As a result, waste emissions were reduced to 2,501.5 tons in 2024, down 11.5% from the year before. Furthermore, we have maintained a waste recycling rate at 80 percent or more by promoting sorting and recycling of waste. We will continue the efforts for reducing waste and improving a recycling rate.
The GALILEI Group regards nature conservation as one of the key themes to address as we move toward creating a sustainable society. Under the Environment Policy, we implement specific plans from a medium-to-long term perspective to “reduce the negative impact on the natural capital to zero.”
As part of efforts to reduce waste throughout the supply chain, we have changed product packaging material from wooden crates to simplified corrugated cardboard cartons (except those for some products). To minimize packaging waste, only the upper and lower parts of products, which are more likely to be damaged, are protected by packaging material. This not only reduces the shipping weight of packages but also makes the package easy to dispose of for sales companies. Suppliers deliver parts in returnable cases to factories to reduce the use of corrugated cardboard cartons.
Wooden crates used for packing products
To protect life on Earth, the GALILEI Group is committed to protecting and maintaining the natural environment.
As part of our GALILEI 1% Club social contribution activities, we have been implementing a nature conservation program of Beach and River Clean Action along coasts and rivers nationwide since 2023. We have cleaned up beaches and rivers 16 times in 15 locations, with the participation of 668 employees and their families in total. Through Beach and River Clean Action, the GALILEI Group will continue striving to create a carbon-free society, contribute to society, and protect biodiversity.
Activities in 2024
In April 2023, Osaka Prefecture launched the Osaka Biodiversity Support Declaration registration scheme to work with businesses and organizations to conserve biodiversity. In August 2023, the GALILEI Group registered under the following declaration category.