History of the Cold Chain
A century of refrigeration, a future of Cold 2.0
Peltier is ushering in the era of controlled cold and disrupting a $250B industry.
Refrigeration wasn’t built for today's commerce. The cold chain continues to depend on compressor-based refrigeration — heavy, energy-hungry, failure prone, and reliant on harmful refrigerants.
30-40%
Global food production lost or wasted each year, much of it due to cold chain inefficiencies.
50%
Of vaccines are lost globally each year due to failures in cold chain logistics.
4%
The cold chain accounts for up to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely from refrigerants and inefficient energy use.
14 months
Typical ROI when replacing reach-ins and walk-ins with modular, solid-state cold solutions.
A new era of cold
The Invention
1834
Jacob Perkins patents the first vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, introducing compressors and refrigerants.
Industrial Breakthrough
1876
Carl von Linde develops a practical and efficient refrigeration system for industrial use, laying the groundwork for global cold storage.
Refrigeration for All
1920s–30s
Home refrigerators become widespread, while commercial cold storage expands globally.
The Refrigerant Era
1950s-1980s
CFC-based refrigerants dominate, later recognized as major ozone-depleting chemicals.
The Montreal Protocol
1987
An international agreement bans harmful CFCs, forcing a shift to HCFCs and HFCs — but these remain climate-intensive.
Global Supply Chain Growth
2000s
Cold chain logistics expands rapidly with globalization, but sustainability concerns rise as emissions and waste escalate.
Outdated Systems
2020s
Despite decades of incremental improvements, the cold chain remains tied to compressors, refrigerants, and wasteful infrastructure.
The Modular Cold Chain (MC²)
2025
Peltier introduces the world’s first scalable, refrigerant-free cold chain ecosystem. Built on solid-state cooling technology, Peltier delivers is the EV moment for refrigeration — a shift from a century-old model to a smarter, cleaner, more adaptable solution.
Shape the future of cold
36%
CO2e reduction compared to traditional fridges
50%
Reduction in staging footprint and employee touches
Peltier is powering cold 2.0