Eighteen months from launch, an expanded Move to -15°C Coalition convened in London to reaffirm its mission: to explore and enable a temperature shift in frozen food logistics from -18°C to -15°C—a scientifically backed move that could cut global emissions by 17.7 million metric tons of CO₂ annually without compromising food safety. That’s the equivalent of the annual emissions of 3.8 million cars.
Since its public launch at COP28, the coalition has expanded from 11 founding members to 55 organizations united by a shared goal: to reduce emissions, cut energy use, and future-proof the frozen food supply chain. Its membership now spans every link of the cold chain, from food producers and storage specialists to logistics firms, technology providers and retailers.
Collaboration
This cross-sector collaboration remains central to the coalition’s strategy, allowing members to exchange insights, co-develop pilots and share best practices. Recent additions to the coalition include IKEA, a global home furnishings leader with a significant food restaurant and retail footprint, along with Arbi Dario S.p.A., Samworth Brothers, Titan Containers, ZIM, Aviko, Apetito, Greenyard Frozen, Thistle Seafoods, Prodalim, Farmfrites, Denholm Group, Pacific International Lines, Atalanta Corporation, Vestey Holdings, and the University of Oxford’s Energy and Power Group.
The coalition’s work is grounded in robust research, including the Three Degrees of Change report and an 18-month trial by Nomad Foods and Campden BRI. These studies suggest that increasing the frozen food temperature set point from -18°C to -15°C does not compromise food safety or quality across a range of products, with microbial activity remaining inactive below -12°C and no significant impact observed on taste, texture, or nutrition.
These findings reveal an opportunity, and the coalition now focuses on understanding how this applies across today’s complex, real-world supply chains. To support this next phase, the Move to -15°C is partnering with FROSTEQ, a research project led by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. FROSTEQ identifies and addresses practical challenges in changing the frozen food temperature standard, helping pave the way for a smooth and sustainable industry transition.
Alongside longer-term efforts to enable a shift to -15°C, the coalition is also collaborating to implement near-term wins today. Members are identifying areas where temperature optimization is already possible within current operations and regulatory boundaries, for example, moving from -22°C to -18°C in certain segments of the cold chain. These incremental changes reinforce the principle that every degree counts and show that companies can achieve meaningful emissions and energy savings now.
>By working together to test, measure and share results from these early interventions, coalition members are building a shared foundation of insight and action that supports the broader ambition for systemic change.
“By joining this movement, Constellation is joining a global coalition that’s coming together to make a difference. Why not just push for the change on our own? Because collaboration is part of the solution. By working together with our industry peers, sharing information and pushing to make the change together, we will be able to have a bigger impact than any of us would be able to by ourselves. We are excited to keep you up to date as our efforts to make cold storage more sustainable continue.”
– Carlos Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer
So far, 20 international awards have recognized the initiative, celebrating the coalition’s creativity, collaboration, and climate ambition. The growing list of accolades reflects global recognition for the coalition’s role in mobilizing industry-wide action on a simple yet powerful idea: that moving from -18°C to -15°C can deliver measurable environmental benefits without compromising food safety. We are proud to stand alongside industry leaders turning ambition into action.