As we near the end of another busy and successful year for the UK’s cold chain industry, the Cold Chain Federation has been proud to support our members throughout 2023 on the key challenges our industry is facing as well as supporting businesses to capitalise on exciting opportunities as they emerge and develop.
Executive Director at Cold Chain Federation
Climate change and the journey towards net zero is one priority for the UK cold chain which poses considerable challenges, but also presents some very compelling opportunities. Our inaugural Cold Chain Climate Summit in March enabled operators to discuss solutions to common problems, share experiences of different approaches and technologies, and consider how to make the most of commercial opportunities in the short and longer terms. We were also pleased to recognise and celebrate the businesses and individuals leading the way, in our inaugural Cold Chain Sustainability Awards. We look forward to the second year of both the awards and the Climate Summit in March 2024.
Our work to support our members on their journey towards net zero includes a major focus on energy efficiency. The Government’s decision this year to extend the cold storage Climate Change Agreement scheme through to 2027 was an important success in our work as the voice of our industry. This scheme will now continue to benefit our industry with more than £10m each year in tax savings. A new energy benchmarking dashboard launched in November 2023 has also helped provide our members with the further information and tools to drive their energy efficiency forward, and look out for the next in our series of Cold Chain Net Zero Project reports in 2024.
These activities provide just a snapshot of the Cold Chain Federation’s delivery on behalf of our members in 2023. Alongside provision of advice to members and our work engaging with the Government, this year our events programme has created unique forums, both face to face and online, which have enabled our members to share knowledge, build new relationships and hear fresh insights from external experts. As well as our two-day Cold Chain Live conference in Liverpool in September, we also brought CCF members from across the UK to discuss recruitment and skills for the cold chain’s future with key politicians at our parliamentary reception in May, and hosted online webinars throughout the year focusing on issues ranging from transport and refrigeration to energy and risk management.
We look forward to working for Cold Chain Federation members in 2024, providing expert advice and unique networks as well as ensuring that the cold chain voice is heard throughout a busy election year.
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