“"Refrigeration does more than just preserve food; it sustains the very essence of progress, ensuring that the fruits of innovation remain fresh for generations to come." ” – Chilling Prospects 2021 Report

In a world challenged by preventable loss, over 1.5 million lives succumb to vaccine-preventable diseases annually. A quarter of vaccines, vital for global health, arrive compromised due to cold-chain failures. Meanwhile, 600 million individuals battle foodborne illnesses, claiming 420,000 lives yearly, underscoring the critical need for a seamless food cold-chain from farm to plate. Amidst this, daily hunger claims 25,000 lives, exacerbated by the loss of 526 million tons of food annually, a staggering 12% of total production. Effective refrigeration holds the key to a healthier, more sustainable future for us all.*

The challenge : Ensuring food and healthcare security through access to cooling

In regions facing vulnerabilities, the struggle to preserve both food and vaccines is pronounced, accentuating the urgency for robust cold chains. Compounded by a lack of mature mobile solutions, electricity free solutions, the challenges in ensuring effective refrigeration persist.

cold box before image.jpeg — In regions facing vulnerabilities, the struggle to preserve both food and vaccines is pronounced, accentuating the urgency for robust cold chains. Compounded by a lack of mature mobile solutions, electricity free solutions, the challenges in ensuring effective refrigeration persist.

coldbox before image.png — Medicines and vaccines must be stored at the right temperature to enable access – particularly difficult during transport and in remote areas. Both too hot and too cool can render vaccines useless. We performed detailed surveys to understand the needs. Results are outlined in a 2020 article titled “The status of refrigeration techniques for vaccine storage and transportation in low-income settings”.²

Our adapted solution : Off-grid mobile refrigeration

EssentialTech is developing an efficient, off-grid mobile refrigerator to enable systemic change towards a healthier, economically viable cold chain to support healthcare access needs and small businesses in low resource settings.

Evaporation-absorption refrigerator with advanced materials
Well-insulated box and opening protocols to minimize loss of cooling
Provide refrigeration between 2 and 8°C for several weeks at ambient temperature
Environmentally-friendly
Minimal maintenance, cost-effective
Scalable in production

ColdBox After picture cooling.png — Several factors contribute to a new interest in evaporation cooling methods, notably growing awareness of the environmental impact of refrigeration techniques.

Cold box after image.jpg — Effective vaccine transport carriers enable vaccination in rural and low-resource setting: An ultimate goal of the ColdBox project.

Download the ColdBox Flyer

Project status

Industrial prototype is currently being built.

Project idea originated from Mr. Coll McDougall Hunter from Hunter Global tracking

Nathalie Morandini Siegrist
Head Sustainable Development

Sashidhar Jonnalagedda
Advisor

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Partners

This project is a collaboration between EssentialTech and SolidarMed.

Laboratory for Functional Inorganic Materials (LFIM)

Capture d’écran 2022-10-31 à 11.27.08.png

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), “Chilling Prospects: Tracking Sustainable Cooling for All.” 2021
M. Cattin, S. Jonnalagedda, S. Makoliso, K. Schonenberger. “The status of refrigeration techniques for vaccine storage and transportation in low-income settings.” (2020), DOI:10.31224/osf.io/gx8fn
1.5 Mil
¼ Vaccines wasted
600 million
25k
526mT
12%

Images: Adobe, EssnetialTech, ICRC, Wikipedia