Innovative Industrial Cooling System Without Pollution

Šimanovci, 18 December 2025 − With support from the European Union as part of the project "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia", Silbo LTD, a company providing logistics and distribution services, introduced an innovative cooling system for industrial cold storage facilities. This system uses carbon dioxide instead of traditional refrigerants, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cooling liquids by whopping 99%. This is the first innovation of its kind in the region, setting a good practice example of transitioning to sustainable and energy-efficient technologies aligned with global environmental standards.

"It is very important that, even without any legal obligations, such a large corporation in our country recognizes the relevant trends in the European market and is oriented toward implementing the Green Agenda and principles of sustainability in practice", said Sara Pavkov, Minister of Environmental Protection.

"We have supported this solution with 172,000 EUR as part of the project ‘EU for Green Agenda in Serbia’. The European Union remains a strong partner to Serbia. Together, we support the implementation of sustainable, energy-efficient solutions that benefit both the environment and the economy, creating a pathway toward a green future for all citizens", said Plamena Halacheva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia.

The new industrial cooling system reduces harmful chemical concentrations in the atmosphere by eliminating traditional cooling liquids with high global warming potential (GWP). This will prevent the emission of over 8.5 tons of pollutants into the air each year, improving local air quality and protecting the health of workers and the broader community.

Miguel La Plante, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Serbia, stated that the green transition is faster and more efficient when the private sector plays an active role. "Through the project ‘EU for Green Agenda in Serbia’, our support aims to create conditions for companies to invest in green technologies, improve environmental standards, and remain competitive in the long term. Companies like Silbo demonstrate that these efforts produce tangible and measurable results."

"Silbo's innovation improves air quality, reduces harmful gas emissions, saves energy, and creates new green jobs. At the same time, it reduces the operating costs and increases the company's business efficiency. This is an excellent example of industrial transformation that other companies in Serbia and elsewhere should follow, because the private sector plays an important role in accelerating and expanding the green transition of the economy and society", said Yakup Beris, Resident Representative of UNDP in Serbia.  

“To further improve energy efficiency and reduce the facility's total carbon footprint, Silbo installed a solar power plant that provides green energy for the company's operations. In addition, the company installed a system to heat the concrete floors by capturing waste heat from the deep freeze process, thereby preventing the breaking and damaging of concrete slabs”, said Goran Tadić, CEO of Silbo.

Silbo's innovative solution for the green transition is one of 94 green projects being implemented with financial support from the European Union and the governments of Switzerland, Sweden, and Serbia, as part of the initiative "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia".

This initiative, with the technical and financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funding provided by the governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.