The project, in the Implementation Phase since January 2019, is reaping the fruits of its four years of implementation.
As of now, the project has achieved the following milestones to transform the domestic refrigeration sector in Colombia:
- 303,219 tCO2eq of greenhouse gases (GHG) reduced by the project’s activities;
- 17,553 people benefited by the project’s activities, among engineers and technicians of domestic refrigerators and families participating in the project’s old for new domestic refrigerators’ substitution programme;
- Establishment of a domestic refrigerators’ substitution programme, together with the Colombian Extended Producers Responsibility (REP) programme, Red Verde;
- Development of a Results based finance and blended finance credit facility with Bancoldex, the Colombian development bank;
- EUR 495,609 of public finance mobilised, and EUR 3,381,220 of private finance mobilised for the project’s activities.
Among the most impactful achievements of the project so far has been improving the livelihoods of its final beneficiaries through the project’s activities.
Through the project’s substitution programme, which objective is to foment consumers to substitute their old domestic refrigerator at home for a new environmentally friendly unit to help the environment, the project has played an important role in starting to communicate to final consumers the additional benefits of participating in circular economy programs.
Additionally, the project facilitates trainings to engineers and technicians around Colombia on servicing and maintenance of domestic refrigerators employing the natural refrigerant R600a. From the knowledge acquired in these trainings the technicians can enhance their career prospects in the future and their daily work security and productivity.