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Zero Emission Cold-Chain(ZECC) - Building the Road to Sustainable Cold-Chain Systems for Food Resilience

Lead Research Organisation: University of Birmingham
Department Name: Chemical Engineering

Abstract

This project will bring together (i) world-leading interdisciplinary researchers from the UK working across the food cold chain sector and sustainable energy; (ii) stakeholder industries; (iii) new technology innovators and (iv) cold-chain customers from farmer to retailer to provide fundamental new knowledge and a whole systems approach to redefine the cold-chain architecture and map the opportunities available to reach net zero emissions by 2050 so as to deliver (i) demand and climate adaptation, (ii) resilience and (iii) decarbonisation of the cold-chain for the food industry and its stakeholders from farmer and fishers to consumers simultaneously.
The food cold chain is complex and lacks integration between sectors. Although technological challenges exist, many decarbonisation issues are techno-economic or behavioural. The project will integrate technical (engineering and food quality/safety), behavioural, financial and business aspects to provide sustainable integrated solutions to the decarbonisation conundrum. More than 60% of our food is dependent on the cold-chain, and cold-chain is a major contributor to our energy demand. The project will provide new information into in a field that has not been researched from a system approach yet.
 
Description The research project has estimated the emissions from all stages across the food cold chain in the UK for pre-COVID baseline year 2019, and predicted the relevant emissions up to 2050 considering different scenarios and potential changes in technology, policy, finance, behaviour and the environment under climate change.
Exploitation Route The project will produce policy documents for government and decision makers, user guides for the industry stakeholders across the different stages of the food cold chain, and a list of journal papers and reports for the academic community to understand any key findings, gaps remaining and future research areas that should be further explored.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Communities and Social Services/Policy

Energy

Environment

Retail

Transport
 
Description Findings from the research project has fed into the UK Government strategies and planning, such as the Climate Change Committee's Risk Assessment work, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) work on the Global Cooling Pledge and the Cooling and Refrigeration Emissions and Energy Data (CREED) working group internationally. The research project has also actively engaged with industry stakeholders and general public through engagement workshops, interviews and dissemination events, where the knowledge and findings have been shared with the industry and public stakeholders to use in practice. The project has published a list of journal papers and reports, which have been used and referenced by other researchers outside the project internationally.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Energy,Environment,Retail,Transport
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Economic

Policy & public services
 
Description External reviewer for UK Parliament POSTNote on Sustainable Cooling. Number 642.
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
Impact The POSTNote report raised awareness of the government, decision makers and general public of the importance of sustainable cold chain for food and vaccination programmes.
URL https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0642/
 
Description Advanced postharvest understanding to reduce food loss across the supply chain
Amount £8,760 (GBP)
Organisation Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2023 
End 07/2023
 
Description GCRF Consolidation Developing Universal Indicators Of Future Vaccine Cold-chain Resilience And Sustainability
Amount £56,158 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2022 
End 03/2023
 
Description REnewable Energy access for Future UK Net-Zero Cooling (Reef-UKC)
Amount £414,886 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/Z533129/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 06/2024 
End 06/2026
 
Description Transport Industrial and Commercial Refrigeration
Amount £679,978 (GBP)
Organisation Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2022 
End 09/2024
 
Title Whole systems approach for assessing food cold chain emissions 
Description The approach considers the impact of the environment, policy, behaviour, finance and technology developments for assessing food cold chain emissions across all stages from post-harvest/slaughter to consumers. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2024 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact Using the whole systems approach we developed, detailed results have been calculated for pre-COVID baseline year and up to 2050 of food cold chain emissions in the UK considering the impact of the environment, policy, behaviour, finance and technology developments. The approach can also be flexibly used by other countries internationally to assess and predict their food emissions across any stage of the cold chain. 
 
Title Data matrices for Food Loss/Waste(FLW) and global warming potential estimates for UK produce 
Description Two data matrices have been developed for WP4 - i) an analysis of food loss and waste estimates for UK horticultural products at specific supply chain stages and ii) estimates of environmental impacts (global warming potential) of UK fresh produce, again broken down by supply chain stage. Both have been produced from literature reviews 
Type Of Material Data analysis technique 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact Both of these areas will be combined to enable identification of food loss and waste hotspots in the UK supply chain to guide later activities 
 
Title Dataset of drivers for food cold chain demand up to 2050 
Description A list f drivers are collected from the literature on their impact of food cold chain demand. The drivers cover technology, infrastructure, social, behavioural, finance and environmental aspects. 
Type Of Material Data handling & control 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The dataset provides useful information for developing a model to estimate GHG emissions of future food cold chain in the UK. 
 
Title Quantifying Food Loss and Waste for Fresh Produce in the UK - Stakeholder Survey 
Description A survey has been developed for use in the UK supply chain to quantify food loss/waste (FLW) in fresh produce and identify key FLW drivers. 
Type Of Material Data handling & control 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact No impacts to date, but once deployed the survey will provide up-to-date evidence for the incidence of food loss and waste in the UK supply chain, including volumes and root causes. This will be used to identify hotspots for intervention through the project, although the wider data will also be useful for benchmarking loss and waste for sector stakeholders looking to improve their current practice. 
 
Description Co-author on review paper 
Organisation University of Oxford
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I co-authored on a review paper of the role of cold chain, which is published.
Collaborator Contribution They co-authored on a review paper of the role of cold chain, which is published.
Impact Trotter, P. A., Becker, T., Renaldi, R., Wang, X., Khosla, R., and Walther, G. (2023). Cold chains for sustainable food system transitions. Journal of Industrial Ecology. Volume 27, Issue 6. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13445
Start Year 2021
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang from University of Birmingham and Prof Judith Evan from London South Bank University collaborated with the Met Office and Climate Sense, and received funding from the Climate Change Committee to work on a scoping study to assess the resilience of the UK's cold supply chain to rising and extreme temperatures. 
Organisation Committee on Climate Change (CCC)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang and Prof Judith Evans co-authored on the project report submitted to the Climate Change Committee, based on primary and secondary data collection of the pharmaceutical and food cold chain, as well as detailed analysis on the resilience to rising and extreme temperatures in the UK.
Collaborator Contribution Met office contributed to the temperature and climate prediction for this project, and Climate Sense coordinated the project and carried out workshops with stakeholders as well as resilience analysis.
Impact A project report has been completed and submitted to the Climate Change Committee, which will also feed into the Climate Change Risk Assessment 4 (CCRA4).
Start Year 2024
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang from University of Birmingham and Prof Judith Evan from London South Bank University collaborated with the Met Office and Climate Sense, and received funding from the Climate Change Committee to work on a scoping study to assess the resilience of the UK's cold supply chain to rising and extreme temperatures. 
Organisation Meteorological Office UK
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang and Prof Judith Evans co-authored on the project report submitted to the Climate Change Committee, based on primary and secondary data collection of the pharmaceutical and food cold chain, as well as detailed analysis on the resilience to rising and extreme temperatures in the UK.
Collaborator Contribution Met office contributed to the temperature and climate prediction for this project, and Climate Sense coordinated the project and carried out workshops with stakeholders as well as resilience analysis.
Impact A project report has been completed and submitted to the Climate Change Committee, which will also feed into the Climate Change Risk Assessment 4 (CCRA4).
Start Year 2024
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang received Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding and started secondment to the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as Cooling Emissions Specialist from February 2025 to March 2026. 
Organisation Government of the UK
Department Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang has started the secondment at DESNZ to lead a working package for the Global Cooling Network CREED on developing an harmonised approach for categorising cooling data and create a repository.
Collaborator Contribution This work significantly contributes to Global Cooling Pledge to enable all countries who signed the pledge to be able to collect and compare their cooling emissions in a consistent way and work on the target of cooling emissions reduction together.
Impact The secondment work is multi-disciplinary, involving stakeholders and cooling experts from technology, finance, behaviour and policy background.
Start Year 2025
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang received Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding and started secondment to the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as Cooling Emissions Specialist from February 2025 to March 2026. 
Organisation International Institute of Refrigeration
Country France 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang has started the secondment at DESNZ to lead a working package for the Global Cooling Network CREED on developing an harmonised approach for categorising cooling data and create a repository.
Collaborator Contribution This work significantly contributes to Global Cooling Pledge to enable all countries who signed the pledge to be able to collect and compare their cooling emissions in a consistent way and work on the target of cooling emissions reduction together.
Impact The secondment work is multi-disciplinary, involving stakeholders and cooling experts from technology, finance, behaviour and policy background.
Start Year 2025
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang received Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding and started secondment to the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as Cooling Emissions Specialist from February 2025 to March 2026. 
Organisation United Nations (UN)
Department United Nations Environment Programme
Country Kenya 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang has started the secondment at DESNZ to lead a working package for the Global Cooling Network CREED on developing an harmonised approach for categorising cooling data and create a repository.
Collaborator Contribution This work significantly contributes to Global Cooling Pledge to enable all countries who signed the pledge to be able to collect and compare their cooling emissions in a consistent way and work on the target of cooling emissions reduction together.
Impact The secondment work is multi-disciplinary, involving stakeholders and cooling experts from technology, finance, behaviour and policy background.
Start Year 2025
 
Description Hosting visiting researcher and publish co-authored paper 
Organisation University of Padova
Country Italy 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I hosted a researcher from Padova University and we published a co-authored paper.
Collaborator Contribution They visited me at the University of Birmingham and contributed to our co-authored paper.
Impact We published the co-authored paper: Zou, Y., Wu, J., Wang, X., Liu, G., Antonio, S., Manzardo, A. (2023). An improved artificial neural network using multi-source data to estimate food temperature during multi-temperature delivery. Journal of Food Engineering. Volume 351, 111518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2023.111518
Start Year 2022
 
Description Invited seminar speaker at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
Organisation University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I gave a presentation of the project at a seminar hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US.
Collaborator Contribution They invited and arranged a seminar for me to present my project and research.
Impact We have been in contact and looking for future collaboration opportunities.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Invited speaker at the Energy Studies Institute in the National University of Singapore. 
Organisation National University of Singapore
Country Singapore 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I gave a presentation at the seminar.
Collaborator Contribution They invited me and hosted a seminar with industry and academic stakeholders.
Impact I was an invited speaker at the Energy Studies Institute in the National University of Singapore. I presented "A whole-systems approach for sustainable cooling and the cold chain". https://esi.nus.edu.sg/eventitem/2023/01/10/default-calendar/a-whole-systems-approach-for-sustainable-cooling-and-the-cold-chain
Start Year 2023
 
Description Member of the STFC Food Network+ Expert Working Group on Sustainable Cold Food Chain 
Organisation University of York
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I became a member of the expert group on Sustainable Cold Food Chain and co-produced a report.
Collaborator Contribution They co-produced a report.
Impact co-produced a report on Cold Food Chain.
Start Year 2022
 
Description University of Birmingham and London South Bank University collaborated with SINTEF Ocean and received EU funding of 11 million Euro to work on a four year research project of European food chain supply to reduce GHG emissions by 2050 (ENOUGH). 
Organisation SINTEF
Country Norway 
Sector Multiple 
PI Contribution Dr Xinfang Wang from University of Birmingham and Prof Judith Evans from London South Bank University each lead work packages for the EU funded project.
Collaborator Contribution SINTEF has been the coordinator for the project, with over 20 other partners contributing to different work packages for the project.
Impact All publications are available online on the ENOUGH website, with many being co-authored by University of Birmingham team and London South Bank University team.
Start Year 2021
 
Title Zero-Emission Cold Chain (ZECC) System 
Description The cold chain system tailored for the UK's food industry is crafted with the aim of reaching zero-emission objectives. This system is designed to ensure the emission-free transportation and storage of perishable items, while also maintaining efficiency and reliability in delivery. The core aim is to create a framework for the cold chain system that enhances decision-making related to its design and operation, targeting improvements in cost-efficiency, emissions reduction, and product quality. It encompasses all technologies and strategies capable of achieving a zero-emission status. The model accurately reflects the behaviors and interactions of stakeholders within the cold chain sector. Upon its completion, this system is adaptable for a wide range of uses, requiring minimal to significant adjustments. It is applicable for purposes including: Assessment and Roadmap: Evaluates initiatives like electric vehicles and renewable energy, providing a guide for gradual tech and strategy integration to reduce emissions. Scenario Modeling: Simulates future scenarios in cold chain based on tech, policy, and market changes to identify best strategies for zero emissions by 2050. Economic and Environmental Insights: Offers insights into cost savings and environmental benefits of sustainable practices in the cold chain industry. Resource Optimization: Improves resource management to minimize emissions, helping achieve zero emissions through optimal tech and resource use. Stakeholder Collaboration: Promotes collaboration among industry stakeholders for a unified approach to zero emissions. Research Tool: Serves as a research platform for studying cold-chain systems, testing hypotheses, and analyzing scenarios. 
Type Of Technology Webtool/Application 
Year Produced 2024 
Impact When completely implemented, the model can aid in the development of a comprehensive road map that will allow the food cold chain industry to discover emission-cutting as well as social and economic benefits. As a result, it may assist cold chain stakeholders in meeting the UK's net zero 2050 target, guaranteeing food security and affordability for UK consumers, and boosting economic potential for the UK food industry. 
 
Description A presentation on research outputs to the AAB HortQFL Meeting, 7th March 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I presented research outputs from the project looking at developing alternative technologies for the postharvest supply chain to reduce energy demand of current practice.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://foodlossnetwork.com/events/
 
Description A presentation on research outputs to the AgritechE REAP conference, 8th November 2023. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact The AgritechE REAP conference aims to bring together research innovation and the farming community. I present research looking at our work developing alternatives to refrigeration in the fresh vegetable supply chain.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.agri-tech-e.co.uk/microsite-page/reap-2023/
 
Description Agent-based simulation model for the zero-emission cold chain - at: Zero Emission Cold Chain Workshop (held on 28-Nov-2023) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The two-hour session was devoted to introducing the ZECC simulation model, a pioneering approach designed to revolutionize the cold chain system in the food industry (initially with beef) with an eye towards achieving zero-emission goals. This model intricately maps out the integration of cutting-edge technologies and forward-thinking strategies with the dual aim of minimizing emissions and optimizing the efficiency and reliability of perishable goods delivery. The model simulates the actions and reactions of key stakeholders within the cold chain sector, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the system's dynamics. The session outlined how this model serves as a crucial tool in enhancing decision-making processes for the design and operation of cold chain systems, aiming to strike a balance between cost efficiency, emission reduction, and quality assurance. The adaptable framework of the ZECC model is geared towards meeting specific objectives, such as attaining a zero-emission status by 2050 or halving emissions by 2035, by incorporating innovative strategies and technologies to fulfill these ambitious targets.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Article in New Yorker magazine 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact The article in the New Yorker titled 'Africa's Cold Rush and the Promise of Refrigeration' (online ) helped to bring attention and focus to the importance of sustainable cooling on food and vaccine supply chains.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/africas-cold-rush-and-the-promise-of-refrigeration
 
Description Conceptual Multiagent Simulation Design for a Cold Supply Chain Model - at: Logistics Research Network (LRN-2022) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The aim of this presentation is to get feedback on a conceptual multiagent simulation model designed to aid policy making in sustainable cold chain operations and logistics management. A case study of a Scottish salmon is used to demonstrate the simulation design. The model focuses on operations and logistics, with the goal of optimising resource utilisation and product quality delivery. Several agents representing real stakeholders are modelled at different levels of the system. The conceptual design of the multiagent simulation is discussed and presented using the Capacity, Roles, Interaction and Organisation (CRIO) meta model approach, where groups and roles are the main entities. The first mile logistics infrastructure focus and the farmers-processors-wholesalers (suppliers) cooperation concepts are introduced. The distribution of cold chain products from suppliers to the retailers/consumers is also considered throughout the chain in order to conceptualise decision making process in Agent Based Modelling (ABM) settings.
The fully implemented model will be able to consider complete sustainability dimensions: environment (green logistics), economy (efficiency and affordability), and social (fairness to farmer and food loss reduction). The complete model may be utilised by key stakeholders to evaluate Cold chain interventions without requiring real world testing, hence reducing risk. Effective cold storage and cold transport (supply and distribution) may lead to reduce food losses and facilitates access to more lucrative markets.
When completely implemented, the model can aid in the development of a comprehensive road map that will allow the food cold chain industry to discover emission-cutting as well as social and economic benefits. As a result, it may assist cold chain stakeholders in meeting the UK's net zero 2050 target, guarantying food security and affordability for UK consumers, and boosting economic potential for the UK food industry.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://ciltuk.org.uk/About-Us/Forums-Communities/LRN-Forum
 
Description Conference presentation at the 5th Global Food Security Conference: Towards equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Several hundreds of audiences attended the conference in KU Leuven, Belgium.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang was an invited keynote speaker at IEEE Manchester Energy and Electrical Power Systems (MEEPS) symposium on Powering Tomorrow: Opportunities for Innovation in Energy Systems. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact 50 PhD researchers and early career researchers participated in the IEEE conference.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Dr Xinfang Wang was an invited seminar speaker at the Ahuora Centre for Smart Energy Systems of University of Waikato on "Energy and emissions of the food supply chain from farm to fork". 15th July, 2024. Hamilton, New Zealand. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact 50 PhD students and academics attended the seminar hosted by the Ahuora Centre for Smart Energy Systems of University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Invited speaker at the Open Science Training Session. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In November 2022, I was an invited speaker at the Open Science Training Session. I presented "A whole-systems approach for sustainable cooling and the cold chain" for the EU H2020 CO-COOL programme online.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Invited speaker for Leamington Café Scientifique. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I was an invited speaker for Leamington Café Scientifique. Sustainable cooling and the cold chain for food and vaccines. St Patricks Irish Club 4 Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Invited speaker for the Energy Day (pre-COP28 event) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I was an invited speaker for the Energy Day (pre-COP28 event). 15th June, 2023. University of Birmingham Dubai campus.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/energy/events/2023/energy-day
 
Description Invited speaker for the Institution of Chemical Engineers' (IChemE) virtual conference on Responsible Production 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact In March 2022, I was an invited speaker for the Institution of Chemical Engineers' (IChemE) virtual conference on Responsible Production
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Invited speaker for the UKERC summer school 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I was an invited speaker for the UKERC summer school. Reducing food waste through cooling. 19-23 June, 2023. Newcastle, UK.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Invited speaker of Towards a zero-emission food cold chain at Research Journeys in/to Net Zero: Current and Future Research Leaders in the Midlands, UK 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact I was an invited speaker of Towards a zero-emission food cold chain at Research Journeys in/to Net Zero: Current and Future Research Leaders in the Midlands, UK
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Local to Global Cold Chain Summit 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The Local to Global Cold-chain summit took place on the 29th September 2022 at the University of Birmingham, hosted by the Centre of Sustainable Cooling. The event
brought together more than 50 research, industry and government partners from the UK, EU and Africa to share their knowledge and discuss research and innovation needs
and collaboration opportunities to operationalise sustainable, equitable and resilient cold-chains for food and health globally.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Local to Global Cold-chains for food and health resilience 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Purpose was to inform policymakers and seek to influence future policy in this area in Rwanda, Kenya.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Participation in "Defining the challenges for net zero cooling in homes, businesses and industry", 1st November 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I participated in a workshop exploring the challenges facing the cooling sector in the UK.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation at The European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) conference. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Dr Xinfang Want presented: Mahood, H. B., Sayin, L., Wang, X., Alammar, A., Lamidi, R., Singh, A., and Peters, T. Estimation of the UK 2019 Baseline Year's Energy Demand and Emissions of Cold Storage Using a Bottom-Up Model at The European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) conference. 6th-9th November 2023. Valencia, Spain.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation at the International Conference on Resource Sustainability (icRS) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Dr Xinfang Wang presented: Wang, X., Lopez-Quiroga, E., Fryer, P., Radcliffe, J., Wu, J., Systematic literature review on local food manufacture and food cold chains at the International Conference on Resource Sustainability (icRS), 7-9 August 2023, Guildford, UK.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Sustainable Cold-Chain Systems For Food Resilience 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact This was in collaboration with the Sustainable Cold-Chain Systems For Food Resilience (SCC) project which feeds into the ZECC project. The event had good participation and discussion and feedback from attendees
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://ukerc.ac.uk/events/sustainable-cold-chain-systems-for-food-resilience-3/
 
Description Sustainable refrigeration system technology selection: A novel DEA- TOPSIS hybrid model 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact We presented our work at DEA45 international conference at University of Surrey.
Abstract: Carbon and energy efficient refrigeration technologies plays a critical role in meeting the UK's net-zero policies. Yet, there is a lack of multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework to evaluate small number of sustainable refrigeration technologies while reflecting stakeholders' subjective judgments. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid data envelopment analysis (DEA) and TOPSIS model, namely Feasible Super-Efficiency Slack-Based Algorithm (FSESBA), to evaluate competing sustainable refrigeration technologies. We devised various scenarios to overarch the needs of different stakeholders and anticipated changes in the energy and environment markets. Our case study is based on a leading UK supermarket around their present and upcoming refrigeration technologies. We tested both conventional and new models and found that our results and scenarios are robust and suitable for informing policies and decisions. Our findings showed that although HFO-based technologies were prevalent in 2020, two CO2-based technologies lagged behind, but by 2035, this will change. By 2050, CO2-based technologies will be the most attractive due to their lower energy usage and GHG emissions. Our research also revealed that if we maintain current refrigeration systems, we can achieve international and national targets to decrease F-Gas refrigerant usage, but net-zero targets will remain out of reach. In order to achieve this objective, the existing technologies should be substituted with GHG neutral alternatives or alternatively, supermarkets could adopt carbon capture facilities.
Co-researchers: Mehdi Toloo (Surrey Business School); Zaoli Yang (Heriot-Watt University); Peihao Zhang (Heriot-Watt University); Bing Xu (Heriot-Watt University)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://dataenvelopment.com/dea45/program/
 
Description The Clean Heating and Cooling Forum- COP27 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The event attracted global audiences with a lively question and answer session with requests for further information following the event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description VIP Visit to Africa centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact COP President, the Rt. Hon. Alok Sharma MP, visited the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) during his attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda. The COP President said, "ACES is a demonstration of how we can work together, to help tackle rising emissions and keep alive the goal of limiting average global temperature rises to 1.5°C.' The visit has raised the profile of sustainable cooling and cold-chain and sparked discussions and further questions from the target audience on engagement with the activities around cooling and cold-chain.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description ZECC industry workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact 3 industry stakeholders joined the panel of the workshop. Around 20 people attended the workshop in total.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Zero Emission Cold Chain (ZECC) Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Zero Emission Cold Chain (ZECC) workshop, scheduled for the 28th November from 1:30pm to 4:00pm, hosted at the Heriot-Watt University (HWU) Edinburgh campus.
ZECC is a £1.4M initiative, funded by UKRI, which has united a consortium of leading experts from the University of Birmingham, London South Bank University, Cranfield University and HWU. Our primary mission is to develop a roadmap to guide the UK food cold chain sector toward to goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. T
At Heriot-Watt University, we are committed to developing a robust framework that empowers decision-makers within the cold-chain industry to make informed investment decisions in sustainable practices and technologies. The forthcoming workshop is specifically designed to deepen understanding of the factors, challenges, risks, and opportunities influencing the strategic choices of businesses as they embark on their journey towards net-zero practices and critical investments.
As an outcome of the workshop, we will produce investment opportunities report specific to the food cold chain industry. The report will assist industries in developing their own customized pathways to achieve net-zero status.
Twenty-five individuals from Star Refrigeration, the Food and Drink Federation Scotland, J&E Hall, the University of Birmingham, London South Bank University, Innovate UK, FJB, and Heriot Watt University attended this workshop and actively participated in both the interactive session and the panel discussion.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zero-emission-cold-chain-workshop-tickets-748451286947?aff=oddtdtcreato...
 
Description Zero emissions cold chain stakeholders event. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact The event was aimed at business/industry partners to brief them on the progress of work and obtain feedback on the industry perspective. The session generated a healthy discussion and very useful feedback to be incorporated in to the research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021