Illegal trade in refrigerants in the era of global phase-down of HFCs and HCFCs

Łukasz Stefaniak

Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska, Politechnika Wrocławska

Ciepłownictwo Ogrzewnictwo Wentylacja, 2026 (5), 42-47, DOI: https://doi.org/10.65545/COW.2026.05.05

Keywords: freon, illegal trade, refrigeration, air conditioning

Abstract
The global phase-out of fluorinated greenhouse gases, in par­ticular hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocar­bons (HCFCs), is one of the key elements of international efforts to mitigate climate change under the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment. Regulations introduced in the European Union, the United States, and other jurisdictions have signifi­cantly reduced the legal supply of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP). At the same time, there is growing evidence of illegal trade in these substances.

This article analyzes the scale, structure, and temporal varia­bility of illegal trade in refrigerants based on publicly availa­ble data from reports by international organizations and law enforcement agencies. Attention is paid to the dominance of commonly used HFCs and their mixtures in illegal trade, resul­ting from their widespread use in existing refrigeration and air conditioning installations. The importance of R-22 is also di­scussed, which, despite its formal phase-out, remains present in operating equipment.

The results obtained indicate that regulatory supply restric­tions may, in the short term, encourage an increase in illegal activities, especially in regions with lower control effectiveness. The importance of considering different GWP time horizons when assessing the urgency of emission reduction measures was also emphasized..

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