BEIJING, Dec. 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- An award-winning campaign to
promote energy-efficient CFC-free refrigerators, which dramatically increased
the number of "green" refrigerators sold from 1,000 units in 1999 to 40
million in 2005, came to a successful end after a five-year campaign period.
( Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/20061107113358-34.jpg )
The US$40 million project, entitled "Barrier Removal for the Widespread
Commercialization of Energy-Efficient CFC-free Refrigerators in China"
introduced innovative market incentives designed to encourage refrigerator
manufacturers and retailers to promote environmentally friendly refrigerators
and to encourage customers to purchase them.
"The explosive increase in household appliances in China is leading to an
explosive increase in carbon dioxide output. The success of this project
demonstrates that it is possible to find creative solutions that are both
environmentally friendly and attractive to Chinese consumers," said Kishan
Khoday, team leader of Energy and Environment for the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in China, at the closing ceremony.
The project established a cash-incentive program by rewarding those
manufacturers and retailers who were the most successful at producing and
selling "green" refrigerators. The national campaign drew wide participation
from competing manufacturers and retailers. Kelon and Haier, two
refrigerator manufacturers, and Huangshi Dongbei, a company that produces
components for refrigerators, will receive monetary prizes as a result of
their commercial push to promote "green" refrigerators in China.
China became the world's second largest refrigerator manufacturer in
1996, and ranks first in the world today. In 1996, in 70% of urban
households, refrigerators alone accounted for approximately half of daily
residential electricity consumption. Back then, the refrigerators
manufactured for the domestic market in China were significantly less energy-
efficient than those used in developed countries.
The participation in the project of leading Chinese refrigerator
manufacturers resulted in an impressive 29% increase in the weighted average
efficiency of household refrigerators produced between 1999 and 2005. There
was a corresponding drop in C02 emissions of about 11 million tonnes by 2005,
and this is projected to reach 42 million tonnes by 2010.
About UNDP
UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men to build better
lives in China. As the UN's development network, UNDP draws on a world of
experience to assist China in developing its own solutions to the country's
development challenges. Through partnerships and innovation, UNDP works to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society
by reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting environmental
sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS. http://www.undp.org.cn
