Just weeks after we released our report Fake, Frauds and F-gases, exposing illegal F-gas trade in Italy, the Italian Government has announced it will implement the EU Environmental Crime Directive. This long-awaited step will tighten penalties for those illegally producing, importing or placing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) on the market. HFCs […]
The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has published its expert opinions in support of EU-wide restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’), including fluorinated gases. The long-awaited opinions were drawn up by its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) on the proposed EU universal PFAS restriction. The proposal […]
International supermarket giant Ahold Delhaize appears to be lagging behind when it comes to phasing out climate-harming refrigeration – even though CEO Frans Muller was until just days ago the co-chair of the influential Consumer Goods Forum, which is committed to speeding up the transition to natural refrigerants. Ahold Delhaize, which operates more than 7,700 […]
Today, EIA and a group of European NGOs have written to the European Commission to urge it to support the roll-out of best-in-class natural refrigerant heat pumps. The initiative would be paid for from funding allocated to support those most at risk from the costs associated with the upcoming inclusion of fossil fuels for heating […]
China’s emissions of key super-polluting hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants now represent more than 20 per cent of the global total. In a newly published study, Xiaoyi Hu and colleagues reported on new observations of three of the main HFCs in use today – HFC-125, HFC-134a and HFC-143a – showing that emissions had increased to 206.4 million […]
Climate-damaging F-gases are synthetic substances widely used in refrigeration, air-conditioning and elsewhere. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are the most common and are so harmful that they are to be phased down under the Montreal Protocol and phased out altogether in the EU. However, the chemical industry is pushing to replace them with a new generation of lucrative […]