Woolworths – 37% Refrigerant Leak Reduction Across 1,200 Stores
Woolworths Group, one of the world’s largest grocery retailers, operates more than 1,200 supermarkets across Australia. As sustainability targets and refrigerant compliance obligations increased, the need for early, proactive leak detection became mission-critical—not just to cut emissions, but to avoid costly service visits, preserve food safety, and protect system performance.
Partnering with Bueno, Woolworths has deployed predictive refrigeration analytics at national scale, transforming leak detection from a reactive process to a strategic advantage.
The Challenge – Invisible leaks driving costs and emissions
Refrigerant leaks are among the most difficult faults to detect and the most costly to ignore. Traditional alarms were no longer sufficient for a network of this size. Woolworths needed to shift away from reactive callouts and toward predictive, data-led maintenance that could deliver environmental, operational, and financial returns.
The Journey Begins – Predictive leak detection across 178,000 connected devices
Using Bueno’s Refrigeration Management module, Woolworths connected over 178,000 pieces of equipment across its store network. With data captured every 5 minutes from racks, cases, and controller logic, the platform identified leak signatures before traditional alarms would typically trigger—allowing targeted responses, fewer truck rolls, and more accurate emissions reporting.
Key elements of the solution included:
Predictive Leak Detection
Multi-layer data inputs enabled early-stage anomaly detection across the cold chain.Automated Compliance Logs
Built-in reporting tools streamlined compliance with AIM Act-aligned regulations.Charge-Level Monitoring
Monitored refrigerant charge and validated float strategies to prevent over-reporting.Smarter Triage for Technicians
Field teams received prioritised alerts with root cause context, boosting first-time fix rates.
"The analytics have underpinned a 27% reduction in carbon emissions from the 2015 baseline. There was an 18% reduction in electricity consumption nationally over 3 years which equates to more than $100 million in savings per year."
The Results – Cutting emissions and service calls through data
Woolworths achieved industry-leading results in leak reduction and sustainability reporting:
37% reduction in refrigerant leaks
Through early detection and targeted response.1,885 service calls avoided
Predictive insights eliminated unnecessary site visits.27% reduction in Scope 1 emissions
Lower leak rates directly reduced greenhouse gas output.Streamlined compliance
Audit-ready reports and log automation maintained AIM Act readiness.
These results demonstrate the power of refrigerant analytics at scale and highlight how proactive detection supports both environmental targets and service efficiency.
The Results – Unlocking operational savings and sustainability wins
With leak analytics embedded across all stores, Woolworths now manages refrigeration faults with precision—minimising disruption, reducing emissions, and lowering cost-to-serve.
Benefits included:
Reduced fugitive emissions
Lower leakage rates without affecting system availability.Improved technician efficiency
Better data meant faster triage, better outcomes.Charge accuracy
Enhanced oversight of refrigerant inventory and float levels.Scalable platform
Foundation laid for broader energy, asset, and workforce optimisation.
Conclusion / Next Steps – Local lessons applied globally
Woolworths’ success shows that refrigerant leak detection isn’t just a compliance necessity—it’s a gateway to smarter refrigeration management. By applying predictive analytics at scale, they’ve created a best-practice model now relevant beyond Australia.
The same approach is now being applied internationally, with Bueno’s platform helping grocery retailers in other markets—especially the United States—navigate refrigerant regulations under the AIM Act while reducing emissions, service costs, and product loss.
Related News....
