Trane Technologies Advances Passive and Personal Cooling Solutions to Protect Communities in India from Extreme Heat

PRNewswire
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 6: Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, today announced major advancements to its next-generation Cooling Carts and Cooling Vests--two transformative solutions designed to protect India's most vulnerable communities from extreme heat. Developed in collaboration with the Shell Foundation, these enhancements mark an important step in strengthening heat resilience, improving livelihoods, and reducing economic losses caused by extreme temperatures and perishable spoilage.
First introduced in 2022 as a prototype for street vendors, Trane Technologies' Cooling Cart has since been extensively refined based on insights gathered from field pilots in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The latest design improvements help shield fresh produce and other perishables from extreme heat, reducing food waste, extending shelf life, and improving more stable daily incomes for market vendors. As the programme expands, 100 Cooling Carts are being deployed across India, many already in active use in major market hubs, supporting fruit and vegetable sellers whose livelihoods rely on daily sales.
Trane Technologies has significantly expanded its Cooling Vest programme to strengthen heat-safety measures for India's outdoor workforce. To date, 12,000 Cooling Vests have been produced, with 7,000 allocated for India and currently undergoing large-scale trials among construction workers, delivery personnel, and others routinely exposed to high temperatures. The latest vest design offers enhanced comfort, durability, and temperature-regulation performance to help reduce heat stress and support worker well-being. The initiative was recently honored with the Vanguard Award, recognizing its innovative contribution to protecting worker health and productivity in challenging climates.
"At Trane Technologies, we believe cooling must be accessible to all--especially those whose health and livelihoods depend on safe working conditions," said Dr. Zubin Varghese, Senior Director, Innovation and Center of Excellence, Trane Technologies India. "By advancing and scaling both our Cooling Carts and Cooling Vests, we are helping vendors protect their goods, enabling workers to stay safe in extreme heat, and empowering communities to build a more resilient and sustainable future."
These efforts build on a strong foundation of partnership and shared innovation. In 2024, Trane Technologies joined forces with Shell Foundation, an independent UK-registered charity, to launch the Scaling Passive Affordable Cooling for Environmental Sustainability (SPACES) programme. Supported by funding from the UK government, the initiative accelerates deployment of climate-smart cooling technologies across India and Africa, with the goal of providing accessible, community-focused solutions that reduce carbon emissions and strengthen economic stability for vulnerable populations.
"As extreme heat intensifies, millions of micro-entrepreneurs and informal workers risk losing income because they lack affordable cooling solutions," said Jonathan Berman, CEO of the Shell Foundation. "Through our collaboration with Trane Technologies, we are deploying innovative tools like Cooling Carts and Cooling Vests to safeguard livelihoods and health. This partnership demonstrates that improving climate resilience is fundamental to long-term economic progress."
Building on the strong adoption and community impact of these solutions in India, Trane Technologies and Shell Foundation are now extending Cooling Carts and Cooling Vests into Africa, beginning with deployments in Nigeria and Ghana. These efforts aim to support micro-entrepreneurs, outdoor workers, and food vendors facing similar climate-related risks across the region.
In addition to these ongoing projects, Trane Technologies remains dedicated to agricultural resilience. Pilots are currently underway with onion-growing communities to address post-harvest losses caused by oversupply and insufficient cooling capacity. Encouraged by positive initial results, Trane Technologies is planning to expand these efforts further in 2026, aiming to deliver benefits to even more communities worldwide.
About Trane Technologies
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation. For more information, visit www.tranetechnologies.com.
About Shell Foundation
For 25 years, Shell Foundation, an independent charity registered in England and Wales, has empowered underserved customers to raise their incomes while lowering emissions. The Foundation supports early-stage innovations; helps the best of them to reach millions of people; and de-risks capital to prove those models are commercial at scale. Across Asia and Africa, the Foundation enables resilient prosperity among three core groups of people: smallholder farmers, transporters, and micro-entrepreneurs. Find more at https://shellfoundation.org/
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