Propane and butane gas-powered refrigerators, which contribute very little to climate change and don't harm the ozone layer like traditional refrigerators, will hit the market in Mexico this month. “We are celebrating the fact that Greenfreeze technology has finally arrived, and we hope the local firms dominant in manufacturing refrigerators will now adopt it,” Gustavo Ampugnani, director of campaigns for the environmental group Greenpeace-Mexico, told Tierramérica.

Greenpeace International created Greenfreeze more than a decade ago, he explained. It is a technology that has existed since the 1990s, but the manufacturer, Mabe, associated with General Electric (which dominates the Mexican market), had not expressed interest in the new approach.

“We hope that for the good of the environment (Mabe) will now consider it,” said Ampugnani.

The units to be sold in Mexico beginning this month are made by the Germany-based firm Bosch, and imported from Greece by Mexican companies.