History of the Cold Chain

For over a century, refrigeration has powered global supply chains without adapting to changing technology. Today’s warehouses and retailers still depend on these outdated systems. Peltier delivers the first real breakthrough in over a century — active, intelligent cold that scales with enterprise demands.

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.

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

Peltier is ushering in the era of controlled cold and disrupting a $250B industry.

1834

The Invention

Jacob Perkins patents the first vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, introducing compressors and refrigerants.

1876

Industrial Breakthrough

Carl von Linde develops a practical and efficient refrigeration system for industrial use, laying the groundwork for global cold storage.

1920s–30s

Refrigeration for All

Home refrigerators become widespread, while commercial cold storage expands globally.

1950s-1980s

The Refrigerant Era

CFC-based refrigerants dominate, later recognized as major ozone-depleting chemicals.

1987

The Montreal Protocol

An international agreement bans harmful CFCs, forcing a shift to HCFCs and HFCs — but these remain climate-intensive.

2000s

Global Supply Chain Growth

Cold chain logistics expands rapidly with globalization, but sustainability concerns rise as emissions and waste escalate.

2020s

Outdated Systems

Despite decades of incremental improvements, the cold chain remains tied to compressors, refrigerants, and wasteful infrastructure.

2025

The Modular Cold Chain (MC²)

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.

A century of refrigeration,
a future of Cold 2.0

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.

Peltier is ushering in the era of controlled cold and disrupting a $250B industry.

Shape the future of cold

A century of refrigeration,a future of Cold 2.0

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.

Peltier is ushering in the era of controlled cold and disrupting a $250B industry.

Shape the future of cold

A century of refrigeration,
a future of Cold 2.0