Industry trade associations and professional bodies from around the world, including USA, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Africa,  the Middle East, and across Europe are united in establishing 26 June as World Refrigeration Day, and have indicated that they will be celebrating the day as an annual event.

Stephen Lisk, CIBSE president, said: “Refrigeration is a critical element of daily life in the developed world and increasingly so to the developing economies. We depend on it in so many ways: in healthcare, it keeps medicines useable and enables blood and tissue transplants; it keeps our food fresh and healthy; and it enables us to keep our internal environments more comfortable in hotter climates.

“In spite of that, we often take refrigeration for granted. But to maintain the fridges and freezers, the cold stores, the refrigerated lorries and vans and even ships and containers requires many skills and trades and specialisms.

“As we seek to reduce the global warming impact of refrigerant gases, we need research and innovation of new technologies and processes to minimise the negative impacts whilst enhancing the daily benefits of cooling systems.

“World Refrigeration Day is a celebration of all these things. It is a chance to explain the many benefits that refrigeration has brought to the world over the last century. It is an opportunity to recognise the achievements of the pioneers of early refrigeration and to celebrate the developments that continue today.”

Colin Goodwin, technical director at BSRIA, added: “BSRIA relishes the chance to support World Refrigeration Day on 26 June. BSRIA continues to be committed to the development of new refrigerant and refrigeration technologies, while simultaneously achieving sustainability.”

The establishing of a World Refrigeration Day has been the personal crusade of well-known industry figure and CIBSE member, Steve Gill, for over a decade.

Mr Gill, who is a past president of the Institute of Refrigeration, said: “I am delighted to have these two giants in the industry express their support for World Refrigeration Day. To see industry united in its desire to raise the profile of RACHP to the general public for all the right reasons is very exciting and a great opportunity for us all.”