During the 15th annual meeting of the International Council of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Manufacturers Associations (ICARMA), held May 28 in Madrid, Spain, the member organizations established a working group to prioritize the development of global industry standards, pledged to promote intellectual property rights (IPR) awareness and collaboration, and developed a strategy to better promote their environmental stewardship efforts.

The meeting was attended by 18 delegates who represent air conditioning and commercial refrigeration manufacturers from the council’s seven member countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Korea and the United States. According to the organization press release, at the meeting, the council established a group to regularly review the work of global standards bodies, prioritize global standards needs based on ICARMA member input, and to develop recommendations to global standards bodies on standard harmonization needs. In addition to developing standards and IPR protection strategies, the council approved its new tagline, “A Global HVACR Partnership for Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship.” As part of the council’s responsible refrigerant use strategy, ICARMA pledged to collect evidence demonstrating the industry’s responsible refrigerant use in each council member’s country.

“This year’s meeting had an exceptional turnout with everyone participating focused on building a stronger global HVACR industry through better coordination and communications”, said 2007 ICARMA Chairman Paco de Leyva, who presided over the meeting. “ICARMA recognizes that through collaborative efforts, the global industry can protect its manufacturers, while maintaining its characteristic strength and integrity.”