COPA China activities 2022-2025

As the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter of refrigerants, China faces significant challenges but also immense opportunities for transitioning the cooling sector towards sustainable refrigerant management. Consequently, key actors and stakeholders in China together with COPA, conducted several activities for increasing knowledge, raising awareness, and piloting solutions for LRM and sustainable management ODS and HFCs. The results of these frutiful cooperations were presented by the partners in an online session on 27th August 2025. The event was held in Chinese and English languages, with simultaneous translation.

After opening and welcome words from COPA Secretariat representatives GIZ, UNIDO and UNDP, Ms. Guo Xiaolin from the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (FECO/MEE) presented the results from the FECO Research Report on Lifecycle of Refrigerant Management (LRM) in China 2024. The importance of LRM in all sectors was further highlighted in the video from Harson Group which followed, where Harson showcased their comittment to an efficient recycling of refrigerants in automobile air conditioners. This dedication was practiced through Harsons particpation in the COPA pilot conducted with the China Automotive Technology Research Center (CATARC). The process, learnings and data from the Harson CATARC demonstration project are summarized in a report on refrigerant recycling in china's automotive maintenance industry, published by COPA 2024 and presentedy by Ms. Wang Jia from CATARC in the session. 

Aohong is Chinas’ largest company trading with recovered refrigerants and one of the first companies to join COPA as a member. Mr. Wang Haitao, Aohong’s general manager, presented the work and vision of Aohong in a video and a presentation, highlighting both the existing challenges and the enormous potential for HFC emission reduction through an efficient LRM in China. 

There are different approaches to facilitate and accelerate a sustainable ODS and HFC bank managment through LRM in China. Mr. Dou Yanwei from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA) presented the newly developed Methodology for emission reduction projects of refrigerant application in household electronic sector within the framework of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER)‌ scheme. After that, Ms. Xin He from UNDP summarized the insights and data from a Research Survey for Refrigerant Disposal Management of Industrial & Commercial Refrigeration Equipment in Use in Zhuhai City, undertaken with COPA through a collaboration between UNDP and the China Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry Association (CRAA).

The activities with COPA in China show how recycling and regenerating refrigerants not only help achieve the "synergistic benefits" of reducing environmental safety risks, reducing ozone layer depletion, and mitigating greenhouse gas effects, but also help resolve the contradiction between refrigerant supply and demand now, and in the future. Thereby, these activities contribute to achieving Chinas’ “dual carbon target” to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

View the Invitation letter and Agenda (pdf) here: English or Chinese

Download or view the presentations by clicking the links below. (coming soon)