Policy and Industry experts met, on 11-12 October, at the international workshop “ATMOsphere Europe 2011” to discuss the role natural refrigerant technologies can play under two major pieces of European legislation: the F-Gas Regulation and the Ecodesign Directive.

“Natural refrigerants are phase-out free, have very low GWP, are energy efficient and increasingly economically viable. Our aim is to bring together leading experts to discuss how to bring these sustainable refrigerants faster to Europe,” said Marc Chasserot, chairman of ATMOsphere Europe 2011.

Ms Bente Tranholm-Schwarz, European Commission DG CLIMA, will be presenting the findings of the impact assessment study for further regulation of fluorinated gases in the EU. Mr Wilhelmus de Wilt and Mr Matthew Kestner, European Commission DG Energy, will give an overview of Ecodesign legislation and what it means for the heating and cooling sector.

The policy discussion will be completed by MEP Theodoros Skylakakis, author of the resolution on “A comprehensive approach to non-CO2 climate-relevant anthropogenic emissions”, who will be explaining his views about a rapid phase-down of HFCs.

Representatives of 8 retailers and consumer goods brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Carrefour and Marks & Spencer will discuss their experiences with natural refrigerants as means to reduce not only their carbon footprint but also their energy consumption, moving closer to achieving a sustainable business.

Market leaders such as Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Johnson Controls, Danfoss and others will demonstrate the usability and efficiency of heating and cooling technologies using the natural refrigerants CO2, ammonia or hydrocarbons.

Industry stakeholders will discuss with the representatives of the Commission and the Parliament about available technologies to replace global warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and how this approach can help the EU achieve the 2020 emission reduction targets.

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