The NHL has signed a multiyear partnership with Delaware-based chemical company Chemours to provide sustainable refrigerants to local rinks across North America. Chemours will work with the league and community rink owners and operators to identify cost-effective and sustainable refrigerant alternatives -- a crucial component of maintaining ice sheets -- that also meet increased environmental regulations. The NHL’s Greener Rinks initiative measures and evaluates the environmental impact of approximately 4,800 indoor ice rinks across North America. NHL VP/Corporate Social Responsibility Omar Mitchell said that the league has been focused on its NHL Green platform, looking at ways it can innovate to impact its footprint, transform the hockey industry and inspire fans to take their own environmental steps and initiatives. The new refrigerant solutions that the Chemours partnership will focus on will help to phase out coolants that are being used less frequently across North America because of previously signed treaties focused on protecting the ozone. Mitchell said that roughly two-thirds of NHL rinks currently use the refrigerants that will be phased out in the next decade, with many community rinks also using them. NHL Dir of Social Impact, Growth & Fan Development Andrew Ference said that many community rinks have not always been able to make massive up-front investments to reduce their environmental impact, but that as part of that sharing of best practices, the league is now able to help them realize the level of cost savings these efforts can bring. “It has evolved from just being a corporate social reasonability effort to just do the right thing, to something that is more than that – it’s still the right thing, plus it’s good business,” Ference said.
