Briefing: Why new fluorinated refrigerants are still not the solution
Media Briefing: How the European Union can protect the environment and our health in its revised F-Gas Regulation.
What is the issue?
The review of the EU Regulation on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gas Regulation) is almost over, with the final trilogue taking place on Wednesday 19 July [*]. The European Commission has put forward a proposal that tightens the action on fluorinated refrigerants with high and mid-high global warming potential (GWP). This is much needed. F-gases are powerful greenhouse gases, hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide, causing short-term warming effects in the atmosphere.
However, climate impact is not the only problem with fluorinated refrigerants. Simply replacing fluorochemicals with other fluorochemicals, such as HFOs, will direct Europe into another age of unsustainable refrigeration technology. Not only that, but it will delay the inevitable switch to non-fluorinated alternatives, which are future proof. So, what can policymakers do to avoid this?
Europe must phase out F-gases
ECOS calls on EU institutions, and especially on the Council and its members, to maintain the ambition of the European Parliament’s position by backing strict bans on F-gases with precise deadlines that will defend public health and protect climate.
The F-Gas Regulation should not create a new environmental and health problem while tackling the climate problem of F-gases. As long as no concrete HFC phase-out and F-gas product bans are determined, industry will continue developing new potentially harmful chemical substitutes. F-gas alternatives already exist in the European market. There is no need to trade public health and climate protection for the prolonged use of F-gases, which also have the highest emission contribution to PFAS pollution, also known as ‘forever chemicals’.
The revised F-Gas Regulation can be the vehicle for change
Given the heavy workload of the Spanish Presidency and the need for this file to be finalised and ready to come into effect for the start of 2024, a successful outcome in the 19 July trialogue is of the utmost importance. We recommend – most importantly – to:
Phase out F-gases completely – without exceptions. F-gas-free alternatives exist on the market and are already used by manufacturers across the EU, so a ban would be implementable – as well as necessary. The EU must also make sure that action on F-gases is not diluted by unclear and delayed deadlines.
Given the potency of F-gases, new bans must be considered in the F-Gas Regulation to encourage the rapid uptake of natural refrigerants, and to address the emissions and leakages of F-gases. New bans should be considered for AC, mobile refrigeration, foams, aerosols, and chillers.
There should also be no exceptions for heat pumps. Heat pumps play a vital role in heating decarbonisation in Europe. However, locking in fluorinated refrigerants will increase their future climate impacts. Large-scale heat pump deployment should go hand in hand with an F-gas ban. The proposed exemption would be unnecessary because F-gases are no longer needed for residential heat pumps up to 70kW.
The idea of banning F-gases is not new; the Commission has taken such an approach before. A complete F-gas ban would also align with potential upcoming PFAS restrictions under REACH, as well as avoiding locking in environmentally damaging HFC blends below GWP 150, risking ever-growing servicing and maintenance costs and stranded assets.
These recommendations are expanded on in our position paper on the F-Gas Regulation trilogue.
* Following the July trilogue, at which a conclusion was not reached, an additional meeting in October was scheduled.
Quote
Anastasia Tsougka, Programme Officer at ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards, said:
“The EU must remain a leader on F-gas ambition. Given their high climate impacts, any delay to the transition away from fluorinated greenhouse gases will jeopardise Europe’s net zero goals. This week’s negotiations offer a last chance to enact an F-gas phase out – a move that is both needed and achievable. The industry needs a clear signal to invest in clean, future-proof technologies, which can only be provided through strong regulation. Many European companies are already at the forefront of this development.”
Resources
- European Commission proposal: EU Regulation on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases
- European Parliament’s position
- ECOS position paper on F-Gas Regulation trilogue
Contact
In addition to the information in this briefing, we can offer interviews on request. Please get in touch.
Alison Grace, Press & Communications Manager at ECOS
alison.grace@ecostandard.org +32 493 19 22 59
Anastasia Tsougka, Programme Officer at ECOS
