A global alliance of industry associations has joined with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction and the World Refrigeration Day Secretariat in an effort to steer more women into cooling sector jobs. The International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) plans to provide mentoring and promote role models to encourage career candidates, and their potential employers, to consider opportunities related to refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pumps.

“We enthusiastically support efforts to expand the landscape for women to participate fully in the research and development of emerging cooling technologies,” affirms Mick Schwedler, 2021-22 president of ASHRAE, one of the 11 industry organizations involved.

The initiative aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals for: equality of opportunity for women; quality of life improvements thorough job creation and more sustainable urban environments; and climate change adaptation and mitigation. INWIC is also envisioned as a forum for promoting environmental best practices for refrigerant management.

Participating organizations will begin rolling out programs throughout 2022. That includes increasing the visibility of women already holding cooling sector jobs through videos and other reporting on their experiences and aspirations.

“Women represent a tremendous, largely untapped source of innovation and skills for this sector, and they need to be actively engaged if we are to solve the great environmental challenges of our time,” observes James Curlin, head of UNEP OzonAction. “INWIC seeks to do just that.”