Fakes Frauds and F-gases

How the illegal trade in HFC super-pollutants threatens climate targets and corporate supply chains.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning, are potent greenhouse gases that are being phased down globally under the Montreal Protocol.

Experience from the phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozonedepleting substances (ODS), and Europe’s early ambitious measures to phase out HFCs, shows that without robust policy measures these transitions can give rise to large-scale illegal trade. Driven by high profits and uneven enforcement, organised criminal networks have become closely associated with illicit HFC trading, leading to increased emissions and undermining the effectiveness of climate policy.