Italian large-scale retail trade: natural refrigerants on the rise, but challenges regarding efficiency and PFAS remain.

A survey of refrigeration in Italian large-scale retail trade offers an updated snapshot of a transforming sector.

The use of natural refrigerants is growing rapidly, while new priorities emerge regarding energy efficiency, refrigeration unit management , and the reduction of fluorinated substances .

For the HVAC/R industry, it is a valuable framework for identifying technological trajectories and operational needs for the coming years.

Natural refrigerants: a widespread use now

The analysis shows that approximately half of Italian large-scale retail outlets now use natural refrigerants , with CO₂, propane, and other hydrocarbons now firmly established in the installed base. This percentage is higher than the European average, confirming that the Italian market has firmly embraced the path of low-climate impact refrigeration.

This trend, observable in both new systems and retrofits, highlights a structural change: natural solutions no longer represent an "advanced" segment, but an operational choice widely adopted by chains, technicians and designers.

Energy efficiency: the issue of refrigerated counters

The census of refrigerated cabinets, however, highlights a significant gap between negative and positive temperature cabinets .

While doors are now standard in freezer cabinets, many models in positive-temperature refrigerated cabinets still remain open, resulting in heat loss and high energy consumption.

Closing cabinets, even through dedicated retrofits, represents one of the most effective and immediate actions to reduce the energy requirements of commercial refrigeration, especially in large stores or those with many linear refrigerators.

PFAS: Why choosing natural products matters, even on the environmental front.

A significant result concerns the reduction of the risk associated with PFAS , present in some synthetic refrigerants and increasingly at the centre of European regulatory attention.

The widespread use of natural refrigerants ensures PFAS-free refrigeration, with both environmental and operational benefits.

This is an aspect that is becoming a criterion of choice for many chains, interested in reducing the overall environmental impact of their business.

Implications for the HVAC/R Industry: Training, Retrofits, and Advanced Design

For refrigeration operators, the findings of this survey indicate three priorities:

• expertise on CO₂ and natural solutions , which are essential today for the design and maintenance of systems;
• operational efficiency , to be pursued with targeted interventions on benches, regulation and monitoring systems;
• integrated approach to sustainability , in which technological choices, energy performance and reduction of critical substances proceed in parallel.

Italian large-scale retail trade is leading a transformation that will likely become a benchmark for other commercial refrigeration sectors as well.