Everything you need to know about illegal refrigerants

Pledge

“I pledge to do my part to end the illegal HFC trade”

PLEDGES MADE SO FAR!

JOIN THE PLEDGE

Background

The HFC black market has links to organized crime, with devastating consequences for business, individuals and the environment.

When buying or using illegal HFCs, your business is supporting criminal activity. You are also exposed to serious safety risks since nobody can guarantee the quality of illegally-imported cylinders or their contents. The latest research suggests that the black market constituted up to 31 million CO2eqT in 2019 alone – a number that can further increase if we don’t work together.

Research from a survey carried out among people who signed this pledge shows 84% of the respondents in the refrigerants value chain see or is offered illegally traded HFCs at least once per year. 72% of the respondents have been negatively impacted by the illegal trade of HFCs, while 69% called for more authoritative actions to reduce the black market.

How can we stop this? By saying no to illegal HFCs. We believe that we can only end the trade in illegal HFCs if we work together. We believe the chain of illegal trade can be broken, one link at a time; that’s why we’re asking you to show you’re doing your part. Because every individual action matters.

Join your peers and sign our pledge below to show that you are also committed to do your part to eradicate the black market for HFCs. You can show support as an individual or as an organisation.

Pledging is just the start. If you are a part of the HFC value chain, there are many things you can do to help. Everyone can do their part to end this illegal trade.

As a “pledger” you will receive more detailed information about what you can do, as well as a suite of digital assets to show your customers and partners that you have joined the fight. 

Please note that the pledge is not an audited certification scheme but a way for individuals and the value chain to show their commitment to fighting the HFC black market. EFCTC reserves the right to remove pledgers at any time.

Organisations who have made their pledge

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What do pledgers receive?

Social media tiles

High-resolution pledge logo for use online

An eye-catching, print-ready poster

Recognition from EFCTC’s channels, including press attention for key organisations

Marco Mensink – Director General, Cefic – 2020

“The European chemical industry supports the European Green Deal and Europe’s ambition to become climate neutral in 2050. The fight against illegal trade in HFCs is crucial not only for achieving Europe’s 2050 ambition but also in the fight against organised crime, which is why Cefic fully supports the pledge to end the illegal HFC trade.”

Marco Mensink – Director General, Cefic – 2020

Christophe Villain – Global Group president Fluorochemicals, Arkema – 2020

“ARKEMA is committed to phase down high GWP HFCs . It is essential that all companies respect the F-Gas regulation and its quota system and ensure that they are not using illegal HFCs”

Christophe Villain – Global Group president Fluorochemicals, Arkema – 2020

Darius Adamczyk – Chairman and CEO, Honeywell – 2020

“The illegal importation of HFCs into Europe attacks a key tenet of the EU’s climate commitments, damages the livelihoods of small business owners, fuels organized crime, costs EU Member States millions in lost tax revenue, and represents a real and significant safety risk to refrigerant users. Honeywell is calling on policymakers across EU Member States, the industry and its value chain to work together to help defeat the scourge of illegally traded refrigerants.”

Darius Adamczyk – Chairman and CEO, Honeywell – 2020

Mikihiro Kodama – Managing Director, Daikin – 2020

“We at Daikin do our utmost all over the world to end the illegal trade of HFCs. And we encourage every member of the refrigerant value chain to join the fight against the HFCs black market. If all of us only sell or buy to and from reliable sources and if everyone respects the EU’s F-gas quota obligations, we can have a substantially positive impact on the refrigerant industry. But even more importantly, we help to protect the climate and ensure the well-being of future generations!”

Mikihiro Kodama – Managing Director, Daikin – 2020

Sameer Bharadwaj – President – Koura, 2020

“We are proud to take the fight against the illegal trade in HFCs one step further. At Koura we are committed to promoting ethical values which is why we have pledged to do what we can to stop the illegal market for HFCs. This trade is not only against the law, it also threatens Europe’s environmental goals. We cannot fight it alone which is why I would encourage you to join us in pledging to #SayNoToIllegalHFCs”

Sameer Bharadwaj – President – Koura, 2020

Mark Vergnano – President and Chief Executive Officer – The Chemours Company – 2020

“At Chemours, we are committed to a greener future, which urgently demands an end to the trade of illegal refrigerants. For a cleaner, greener planet, please join us in pledging to help end the sale of illegal HFCs.”

Mark Vergnano – President and Chief Executive Officer – The Chemours Company – 2020

Ville Itälä – Director-General, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) – 2020

“The fight against the illegal import of HFCs into the EU is one of OLAF’s operational priorities, in line with the European Commission’s ambition to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050 with its European Green Deal. We encourage initiatives like this pledge in order to raise awareness of this illegal trade and share best practices between all stakeholders.”

Ville Itälä – Director-General, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) – 2020

Murli Sukhwani, Chemours – 2020

“We need to eradicate the black market for HFCs. It is undermining EU climate goals, feeding criminal activity and compromising the transition to greener alternatives”

Murli Sukhwani, Chemours – 2020

Felix Flohr, Daikin – 2020

“Inadequate enforcement makes illicit HFC trade easy. Criminal organisations infiltrate the legitimate supply chain and sell illegal products to legitimate businesses, many of them small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) who often do not even know that they are buying illegal products”

Felix Flohr, Daikin – 2020

Tim Vink, Honeywell – 2020

Thanks to a trade flow analysis carried out by Oxera Consulting LLP, we now understand the scale of this issue. We estimate that up to a staggering 34 million tonnes CO2e of HFCs could have come into Europe illegally in 2018.

Tim Vink, Honeywell – 2020

Dave Smith, Koura – 2020

“Illegal imports are attractive to smugglers. Our collaboration with private investigator Kroll continues to reveal new depths of the problem. The many ways through which illegal HFCs are imported pose a major concern and show that the problem requires a unified approach and a multi-stakeholder solution”

Dave Smith, Koura – 2020