World’s leading authority on climate 

change confirms that Honeywell’s new 

automobile refrigerant has lower global 

warming potential than carbon dioxide

03 Feb 2014

Posted in: News Releases, Suppliers News Releases

Source: https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/worlds-leading-authority-climate-change-confirms-honeywells-newautomobile-refrigerant-lower-global-warming-potential-carbon-dioxide/

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC), a scientific body established by the United Nations, has confirmed that Honeywell’s new lowglobal-warming automobile refrigerant, HFO-1234yf, has a global warming potential (GWP) that is less

than 1, below that of carbon dioxide.

The IPCC is the international body that assesses the science related to climate change. Their assessments are 

widely accepted by governments around the world and provide a basis for those governments to develop 

climate-related policies.

“The IPCC report confirms that HFO-1234yf has a lower global warming potential than carbon dioxide,” said 

Ken Gayer, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Fluorine Products. “Automakers around the 

world are choosing HFO-1234yf not only for its environmental attributes, but because it is easy to adopt, is 

safe, and it performs well in all climates.”

IPCC has accepted the findings of an independent, peer-reviewed paper, published last year in volume 51 

of Reviews of Geophysics by several leading chemists and environmental scientists from Europe and the U.S. 

That study was the first to calculate the GWPs of all fluorocarbon-based refrigerants using all available 

atmospheric data, taking into account local atmospheric patterns.

The study found HFO-1234yf to have a GWP of less than 1. CO2 is considered the baseline with a GWP equal 

to 1. Earlier studies had calculated the GWP for HFO-1234yf at 4, which is still a 99.7 percent improvement 

over HFC-134a, the refrigerant most commonly used in the world’s automobiles that is subject to being phased 

out under the EU Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) Directive. GWP is a relative measure of how much heat a 

greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. (See “Comparison of Greenhouse Impact” table below.)

HFO-1234yf is being implemented by automakers in part to meet the EU MAC Directive, a landmark piece of 

legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of air-conditioning systems in passenger cars and 

light commercial vehicles. The directive requires that refrigerants in all new vehicle types sold in Europe after 

Jan. 1, 2013, and all cars sold in Europe after 2017, have a global-warming potential (GWP) below 150. HFO-
1234yf, with a GWP below 1, not only meets this requirement but is more than 99 percent below the new, 

stricter regulation.

Automakers in the U.S. are also adopting HFO-1234yf to help comply with Corporate Average Fuel Economy 

(CAFE) and vehicle greenhouse gas standards, which aim to improve the average fuel economy and reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions associated with cars and light trucks. Because HFO-1234yf has an extremely low 

environmental impact (a GWP of less than 1 compared with a GWP of 1,300 for the current refrigerant, HFC134a), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows automakers to receive credits for using HFO1234yf.

Nearly half a million cars are on the road today safely using HFO-1234yf, and by the end of 2014, the number 

of vehicles is expected to exceed 2 million. Third-party data shows that HFO-1234yf’s widespread adoption 

globally would have the greenhouse gas equivalent of permanently removing more than 30 million cars from 

the road worldwide, or about 3 percent of the total global fleet.

Honeywell recently announced significant investments in production capacity to meet anticipated demand for 

HFO-1234yf. Earlier this year, Honeywell announced that it has entered into a supply agreement with Asahi 

Glass Company Ltd. (AGC) to increase production for HFO-1234yf in mid-2015, and late last year, Honeywell 

announced a $300 million investment with its suppliers to build a new HFO-1234yf production plant at 

Honeywell’s existing Geismar, Louisiana, facility.

To learn more about HFO-1234yf visit www.1234facts.com or www.1234fakten.de.

Comparison of Greenhouse Impact: HFO-1234yf vs. HFC-134a vs. CO2

Refrigerant

Atmospheric

Lifetime

Global

Warming

Potential

Fuel Efficiency (compared

with HFC-134a)

HFO-1234yf 10.5 days Less than 1 Same

HFC-134a 13.4 years 1,300 Same

CO2

Ranges from 5 

to 200 years 1

Worse (adoption of CO2 as a 

refrigerant in Europe alone 

would result in annual 

consumption increase of 3 

billion liters of fuel at a cost of 

more than 4 billion Euros to 

European car drivers)

Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies is a global leader in developing and manufacturing 

advanced materials and process technologies. These materials and technologies are used by people every day 

in a wide range of industries and applications, from petroleum refining to environmentally friendlier 

refrigerants to bullet-resistant vests. Our advanced materials are critical in the manufacture of products ranging 

from nylon to computer chips to pharmaceutical packaging. Process technologies developed by our UOP 
business form the foundation for most of the world’s refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel 

and petrochemicals. UOP is now pioneering technology to produce real fuels from renewable energy sources.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving 

customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and 

industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are 

traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on 

Honeywell, please visitwww.honeywellnow.com.

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning 

of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, 

that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects, projects, believes 

or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon 

certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception 

of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors 

they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a 

number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, 

and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business 

decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks 

and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and 

Exchange Commission.

*Automotive World is not responsible for the content of this news release.