We urge the European Commission to ensure enforcement of existing EU legislation regarding insulation foam in reefer containers. This would benefit the environment, and it would help European innovation and environmental investments pay off.

—Peter K. Nymand, CEO for Maersk Container Industry

Current EU legislation bans the “import” or “placing on the market” of reefer containers with significant potential to damage the climate and ozone layer. But thousands of such containers nevertheless circulate in Europe’s internal market on virtually the same market conditions as more environmentally friendly reefers, Maersk says.

Maersk Supotec (Sustainable Polyurethane Technology) foam was developed in 2002 as MCI searched for a viable way to insulate the reefers so they need minimal energy to keep their cargos fresh during transportation. SuPoTec’s base component is cyclopentane, which is enhanced with the addition of materials that ensure virtually unchanged thermal performance compared to the traditional HCFC141b foaming method.

The global warming potential (called GWP) of a 40' reefer box with SuPoTec is reduced to about 1% compared with a container made with HCFC141b. And SuPoTec causes no harm to the Earth’s ozone layer, unlike HCFC141b.

This is environmental precaution. It is positive when enterprises, in this case Maersk Container Industry, move ahead of the legislation by developing products and production methods, which in turn make it possible for legislators to demand more from the rest of the industry.

—John Nordbo, head of the Conservation Department at WWF, Denmark

The majority of Maersk Line’s reefer containers are manufactured at Maersk Container Industry’s (MCI) facilities in Qingdao, China.