Food Price Affordability No Barrier to First Place on Climate-Friendly Supermarket Scorecard
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) released its 2026 Climate-Friendly Supermarkets Scorecard, which tracks major U.S. food retailer efforts to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – superpollutant refrigerants used across the food retail sector – just one week after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled back requirements on refrigerant use in the sector in a move condemned by environmental and industry groups.
“Our 2026 scorecard shows that affordability is not a barrier to climate leadership and regulatory uncertainty is no excuse for inaction,” says Avipsa Mahapatra, Climate Campaigner Director at EIA US. “Every new HFC-based refrigeration system installed today locks in high costs and climate pollution for years to come. Companies that choose to fall behind can no longer argue that climate-friendly technology is too expensive, too difficult, or too early.”
This year, most companies reviewed have reported at least some of their store refrigeration systems are entirely HFC-free. ALDI U.S. – scorecard leader and one of the most affordable supermarkets in the country – accounts for the largest share at nearly 1,000 of these stores. EIA’s scorecard tracks progress across three categories: technology adoption of climate-friendly refrigerants (i.e., those with Global Warming Potentials below 10), refrigerant management (leak prevention and repair), and corporate commitments to reduce HFCs.
ALDI continues to lead the scorecard overall, as well as in technology adoption. It remains the only company to have a public target to transition all new and existing stores to natural refrigerants (by 2035).
Eleven companies have a public commitment to reduce use or emissions of HFCs, but there is a gap in time-bound targets, interim benchmarks, and public updates on progress towards these goals, proving a regulatory framework is needed over corporate commitments alone.
Meijer leads on refrigerant management with a reported average annual leak rate below 8% (versus EPA reported industry average of 25%). Broadly, transparency on leaks remains a challenge – only four companies (ALDI, Meijer, Target, and Kroger) disclose leak rates for U.S. stores, despite this data being required under EPA’s refrigerant leak repair recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
A recent EPA and U.S. Department of Justice consent decree with Kroger for alleged violations of refrigerant leak repair provisions under the Clean Air Act is a reminder that voluntary corporate actions are insufficient in curbing the sector’s refrigerant emissions without consistent government enforcement.
“A sector long responsible for high leak rates of these superpollutants now has every tool to accelerate its transition away from them,” says Beth Porter, EIA US Senior Climate Policy Analyst. “Many U.S. retailers have already invested in HFCfree refrigeration systems, and this adoption is advancing more rapidly at the global level, demonstrating a shift towards energy-efficient, climate-friendly alternatives.”
EIA’s scorecard is a call-to-action for companies to practice greater public disclosure on progress to reduce HFC emissions, along with stronger measures to ensure implementation across their operations, and to accelerate the transition to HFC-free refrigerants. While the recent rollback extending HFC use in new equipment through 2032 may tempt some retailers to delay adopting alternatives, the sector cannot afford to wait as global HFC supply shrinks and prices rise.
Further information and interviews with EIA available upon request.
Contact
Holly Koch, Communications and Media Lead, EIA US – hkoch@eia-global.org