“The objective of the unit is to influence the development of technology towards sustainable solutions and promote their entry into the market,” Greenpeace Executive Director Thilo Bode said in a statement.
The move follows the organisation’s work in devising environmental guidelines for the Sydney Olympics.
Greenpeace said it had convinced Olympic sponsor Coca Cola to replace their refrigerants with “Greenfreeze” technology in their worldwide operations.
Greenpeace developed “Greenfreeze”, which uses hydrocarbon gases such as propane instead of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), identified as causing depletion of the ozone layer and global warming.
Scientists say too much carbon dioxide and other gases create a greenhouse effect which is raising world temperatures.
The organisation, with its global headquarters in Amsterdam, said it will build on previous work on technology and appoint the system analyst and physicist Harry Lehmann to head the new unit.
Lehmann is the former director of the Wuppertal Institute, a German environmental research organisation.