New Research article on LRM

COPA member INSEAD published a research article about the challenges and solutions to a sustainable Lifecycle Refrigerant Managment.

The refrigerants inside cooling appliances, air conditioners and heat pumps are a climate time bomb. At present, the inventory of refrigerants is estimated at between 13 Gt to 24 Gt CO2-eq., with the global use of refrigerants growing at about 8 percent per year. Martijn Thierry, MT Strategic Results, and Luk Van Wassenhove , INSEAD, conclude that tackling the invisible but growing problem of refrigerant emissions requires more proactive businesses in the ecosystem.. 

Their study reveals that at least 75 percent of refrigerants are not being recovered properly but are, instead, released untreated into the atmosphere (so-called “venting”). Even Japan and Norway, two countries with a tradition of managing refrigerants, have an estimated recovery rate of only around 45 percent and 30 percent respectively. 

Wanting to understand the reasons for the low recovery rates of used refrigerants, the researchers focused on Northern Europe, a region bound by European Union (EU) regulation and boasting an infrastructure for the collection, reuse and destruction of used refrigerants. It turned out to be a multi-faceted issue.

Read the full article here: 

How to Fix A Hidden Climate Threat