Italy and UNEP launch grants for sustainable cooling projects
- brg_news_room
- 30 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cool Coalition, has launched the first EPIC Deploy Call for Proposals, providing financial support for sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient cooling projects in Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Applications are open until October 31, 2026.
The funding programme focuses on two key areas: sustainable cooling in the tertiary sector, including hospitals, schools, universities, and other public facilities; and sustainable cooling solutions for industry and cold-chain applications, covering agri-food value chains, logistics, and industrial refrigeration. Supported pilot projects are expected to deploy mature or near-commercial technologies while incorporating sustainable financing mechanisms and public-private partnerships.
The initiative is part of the EPIC (Enabling Pledge Implementation for Cooling) Facility, established through UNEP’s Cool Coalition to support implementation of the Global Cooling Pledge. The programme comes amid rising global demand for cooling, with more than 1.1 billion people lacking adequate access to cooling services. At the same time, UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch 2025 projects that global cooling demand could nearly triple by 2050 if current trends continue, highlighting the need for more energy-efficient and low-emission cooling technologies.
Source: UNEP
