June 2017 by EIA International
https://eia-international.org/report/chilling-facts-vii/
The latest EIA report focusing on the progress of major supermarket chains in moving away from the use of climate-damaging refrigerants and warning of potential financial problems for slow adopters.
The press release states “The adoption of climate-friendly cooling technology is on the rise in Europe – but some tardy retailers are heading for a major financial shock when drastic cuts in supplies of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) kick in.
The EU F-Gas Regulation, in effect since 2015, mandates a swift phase-down in the use of HFCs, a family of greenhouse gases hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2) which are commonly used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, fire protection, aerosols and foams.
As of next year, market supplies of HFCs will be slashed by about 48 per cent in real terms, a move expected to result in drastic price hikes and supply shortages for those retailers yet to adopt climate-friendly alternatives; prices of some chemicals have already increased by 62 per cent in the first quarter of 2017.
For the latest report, 22 retailers submitted data for the 2015 calendar year from supermarkets across 37 countries. We led the work with a dozen German supermarkets chains, large and small.
The report urges manufacturers to invest in CO2 and other natural refrigerant technologies for large and small-format supermarkets and recommends governments to financially support smaller end-users to transition away from HFCs and provide incentives.
Author: Hans Verolme
Hans Verolme is the founder of the Climate Advisers Network and has extensive analytical and advisory experience in Africa, South America and Asia and is widely recognized as an expert across the entire spectrum of low carbon transitions. With over 20 years of international negotiations experience, he has been a valued adviser to governments, foundations and civil society. Prior to setting up the Climate Advisers Network, he advised the British ambassador in Washington, DC, and served as Global and US Climate Change Director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). All politics is local, climate politics is global. Hans has worked in, amongst others, Barbados, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, European Union, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States.