Coca-Cola and McDonald's
Olympics claims a cop out
Sydney. Thursday April 6, 2000: Greenpeace calls on Olympic sponsors McDonald's and Coca-Cola to install only HFC-free
Greenfreeze refrigeration at the Sydney 2000 Olympics site in compliance with the Environmental Guidelines.
"It is a cop out for Coca-Cola and McDonald's to claim environmentally friendly alternatives are not available," said
Greenpeace campaigner, Corin Millais. "The fact is that the official policies of these companies are to buy HFC
equipment. Their policies are the impediment, they can buy Greenfreeze equipment if they change their policy."
The sponsors' claims come in response to the release today of Greenpeace's report, Green Olympics, Dirty Sponsors, which
reveals that McDonald's and Coca-Cola will undermine the 1992 Environmental Guidelines for the 2000 Olympics by using
greenhouse polluting HFC gases. The Guidelines specifically state that the Olympics must be HFC-free.
“The suggestion that HFC-free refrigeration can't be used for the Sydney 2000 Olympics is appalling given that these
sponsors have had eight years to order this equipment,” said Corin Millais. "In that time Greenpeace has worked with
other businesses to commercialise 45 million Greenfreeze fridges. Clearly it can be done."
“McDonald's has installed environmentally friendly Greenfreeze refrigeration in the Millennium Dome in London. It has
two 100% Greenfreeze restaurants there. The Millennium Dome had over half a million visitors in March alone. If it is
good enough for the UK it should be good enough for Sydney's Green Games,” said Millais.
“The Greenfreeze industry provides a wide range of refrigeration equipment. There are over one hundred different models
available commercially. Corporations with the purchasing power of McDonald's and Coca-Cola would find their commercial
needs met if they actually placed orders."
Other companies have installed Greenfreeze commercial equipment around the world. They include Tip Top Bread, Esso,
IKEA, British Airways, UK retailers Sainsburys and Tescos and Campbell's soup. There is no regulatory impediment to the
use of Greenfreeze equipment in Australia. In Denmark the government will phase out HFCs by 2006 and has banned HFCs for
commercial refrigeration equipment from 2003.
ENDS
Green Olympics, Dirty Sponsors: How McDonald's and Coca-Cola's global HFC pollution is undermining the world's first
Green Games at the Sydney Olympics is available at www.greenpeace.org.au
For further information contact Lynne Minion in Australia on 0061 408 268 024 or 0061 2 9263 0314.