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For Immediate Release October 15, 2015

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

FACT SHEET: Obama 

Administration and Private-Sector 

Leaders Announce Ambitious 

Commitments and Robust 

Progress to Address Potent 

Greenhouse Gases

President Obama believes that no challenge poses a greater threat to 

future generations than climate change, and his Administration is 

committed to taking responsible steps to ensure that we leave our children 

a planet that is not polluted or damaged. Today, the White House 

announced a suite of new private-sector commitments and executive 

actions that will reduce the use and emissions of the potent greenhouse 

gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). In addition, the White House 

recognized the robust progress that has been made against the privatesector commitments and executive actions that were announced in 

September 2014 to address HFCs. In the past year, a series of actions 

have been taken that will cut consumption of HFCs by the equivalent of 

more than 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) through 2025. 

Moreover, the private-sector commitments and executive actions 

announced to-date will slash U.S. reliance on HFCs and reduce cumulative 

global consumption of these greenhouse gases by the equivalent of more 

than 1 billion metric tons of CO2 through 2025. This is equivalent to taking 

210 million passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

HFCs are factory-made chemicals that are primarily used in air 

conditioning, refrigeration, and foam insulation, and they can be up to 

10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate 

change. Absent ambitious action to limit their use, emissions of HFCs are 

expected to nearly triple in the U.S. by 2030.

When the President launched his Climate Action Plan, he pledged to 

reduce emissions of HFCs through both domestic and international 

leadership. This past July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) finalized a rule under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) 

program that will prohibit the use of certain HFCs where safer and more 

climate-friendly alternatives are available. Simultaneously, EPA also listed 

as acceptable additional climate-friendly alternatives in order to expand the 

options for businesses to use chemicals that are less harmful to the 

environment.

As a complement to those regulatory measures, today’s commitments and 

progress demonstrate that U.S. companies are at the cutting edge when it 

comes to developing the next generation of safe and cost-effective 

alternatives to HFCs and also incorporating these alternatives into 

American cars, air conditioners, refrigerators, foams, and other products. 

These announcements come from a diverse set of companies – including 

producers of the chemicals, manufacturers of equipment that use HFCs, 

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and end-users – which demonstrates that companies throughout the HFC 

supply chain are stepping forward to phase out or phase down the use of 

HFCs and transition to alternatives with lower global warming potential 

(GWP).

Today’s announcements also highlight U.S. leadership in addressing HFCs 

in advance of the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Dubai 

in two weeks (November 1-5). The U.S. has been working to negotiate an 

amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and 

consumption of HFCs globally, and our bilateral announcements with 

China, India, Brazil, and others recognize the need to advance progress on 

managing HFCs through the Montreal Protocol. With strong international 

action on HFCs, up to 0.5°C of warming could be avoided by the end of the 

century, substantially furthering our goal to limit global temperature rise.

NEW COMMITMENTS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Chemours today announced that its OpteonTM family of low-GWP

products is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by 

300 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2025, which represents more than a 

20 percent increase from its September 2014 projections. In addition, 

Chemours today agreed to control and, to the extent feasible, eliminate byproduct emissions of HFC-23 at all its fluorochemical production facilities 

worldwide. Furthermore, Chemours today agreed to use in the U.S. only 

feedstock HCFC-22 from producers that control and, to the extent feasible, 

eliminate by-product emissions of HFC-23 at their production facilities in 

North America. Chemours was created through the spin-off of DuPont 

Performance Chemicals in July 2015, and it continues to facilitate the 

global transition to more sustainable refrigerants as the largest global 

supplier of HFO-1234yf.

Daikin Industries Ltd. today announced its commitment to strictly control 

and, to the extent feasible, eliminate by-product emissions of HFC-23 at its 

fluorochemical production facilities worldwide. Daikin’s plant in Decatur, 

Alabama, was the first plant in the U.S. that committed to the destruction of 

HFC-23 when it started operations in 1994. Today’s commitment extends 

to all Daikin facilities worldwide and is estimated to reduce global 

emissions by almost 7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year. 

Daikin recently also announced that it is offering companies worldwide free 

access to 93 patents in order to encourage the development and 

commercialization of comfort cooling and heating technologies that use 

R-32 – a refrigerant with a lower global warming impact than most common 

refrigerants in use today – as a single-component refrigerant. Daikin is one 

of the world’s largest air conditioner and refrigerant manufacturers.

Danfoss today announced its multi-million dollar investment in a state-ofthe-art application development and testing center in North America that 

will help to facilitate the transition to low-GWP refrigerants through 

providing air conditioning and refrigeration manufacturers with additional 

capacity to test new equipment using low-GWP refrigerants for 

performance and safety. The center is anticipated to come online in 2016 

and it will accommodate equipment sizes up to 150 tons of refrigeration. 

Danfoss is an international manufacturer of high-efficiency products used 

in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Demilec today announced the planned release of its first hydrofluoroolefin 

(HFO)-blown spray foam insulation with availability by mid-2016. In 

addition, today it announced that it plans to completely transition to HFOblown insulation by the end of 2017. Demilec is a polyurethane insulation 

foam company in the business of lowering energy consumption and 

promoting sustainable products in the building envelope. With a focus on 

sustainability, Demilec’s closed cell products currently contain over 20 

percent renewable recycled content. This year, Demilec will recycle the 

equivalent of 35 million plastic bottles. Demilec, one of the industry’s 

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largest spray foam companies, has provided insulation solutions for over 

30 years.

Dow Chemical today announced its commitment to the elimination of highGWP HFCs in its spray foam adhesive product line. More specifically, Dow 

Building Solutions is reformulating their one component spray foam 

adhesive product line for the commercial roof adhesive market to use lowGWP blowing agents instead of HFCs. In addition, its tile roof spray foam 

adhesive product line will be transitioned to low-GWP blowing agents in the 

next two to three years. Together, these actions will avoid approximately 

200,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year. Dow Chemical is a global 

advanced materials, specialty chemicals, and plastics company.

Fomo Products today announced that 95 percent of its one component

aerosol can products will be converted from HFCs to HFOs and 

hydrocarbons by summer 2016. In addition, today it announced that 25 

percent of all of its low-pressure spray polyurethane foam formulations will 

be converted from HFCs to HFOs by summer 2016. Fomo Products is one 

of the largest producers of low-pressure polyurethane products in North 

America.

Hillphoenix today announced that it will launch in Q4 2015 a CO2 booster 

system that is intended for stores with a smaller footprint. In addition, it 

announced that it has completed its second commercial installation of an 

ammonia / CO2 cascade system for use in supermarket applications. 

Furthermore, based on its successful installation of the first two CO2 ice 

rinks in Anchorage, Alaska, Hillphoenix is planning for the future 

introduction of this CO2 booster system technology, contingent on EPA 

approval of CO2 as a refrigerant in ice rink applications. Hillphoenix is a 

Dover Company and a manufacturer of commercial refrigerated display 

cases and specialty products, refrigeration systems, integrated power 

distribution systems, and walk-in coolers and freezers.

Honeywell today announced that its Solstice® line of low-GWP products is 

anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by 475 million 

tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2025, which represents a 36 percent 

increase from its September 2014 projections. In addition, Honeywell today 

committed that, to the extent possible, it will use feedstock HCFC-22 from 

producers that strictly control and, to the extent feasible, eliminate byproduct emissions of HFC-23 at their production facilities worldwide. 

Honeywell is a global technology and manufacturing company that serves 

customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control 

technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and 

performance materials.

Ingersoll Rand has announced that it will reduce its refrigerant-related 

emissions from products by 50 percent and emissions from its operations 

by 35 percent by 2020. It will also invest $500 million on research and 

development (R&D) for long-term emissions reductions. As part of this 

commitment, Ingersoll Rand today announced that Thermo King trailer, 

self-powered truck, and marine refrigeration products with strong efficiency 

performance and a lower-GWP refrigerant will be available to U.S. 

customers by 2017, contingent on SNAP approval. In addition, the Trane 

high-performance chiller portfolio with low-GWP refrigerant alternatives will 

be available in the U.S. by the end of 2018, with commercial availability 

dependent on receiving SNAP approval for some new refrigerants. 

Ingersoll Rand is focused on creating comfortable, sustainable, and 

efficient environments.

Johnson Controls, Inc. today announced multiple actions that it is 

committed to taking over the course of the next year. In response to 

changing market conditions and the preferences of some of its customers, 

Johnson Controls will expand the availability of high-efficiency, low-GWP 

refrigerant options in its commercial air conditioning and industrial 

refrigeration product portfolio; offer new equipment that can be readily 

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retrofitted in the future with high-efficiency, low-GWP options for customers 

who are concerned that they will not receive the full economic and 

environmental benefit over the entire life of their HFC equipment; and 

develop aftermarket retrofit services to address the installed base of HFC 

equipment for customers that want to convert their existing equipment to 

low-GWP refrigerants. To support the safe use of some mildly-flammable, 

low-GWP refrigerants, Johnson Controls is pledging up to $100,000 to 

accelerate and fund independent, third-party, peer-reviewed research to 

help develop practical and fact-based safety standards related to the use 

of these refrigerants. In addition, it is making a commitment to support and 

participate in the development and standardization of service technician 

and operator training for the safe use of these refrigerants. Johnson 

Controls’ Building Efficiency business delivers products, services, and 

solutions that increase energy efficiency and lower operating costs in 

buildings.

NCFI Polyurethanes today announced several commitments in support of 

its goal to convert its entire commercial construction product line to lowGWP products. First, it announced that it will complete the formulation of 

roofing foams to use low-GWP blowing agents by 3Q 2015. Second, NCFI 

Polyurethanes announced that it will complete the formulation of open- and 

closed-cell polyurethane foam wall spray with climate-friendly blowing 

agents by 4Q 2015. Third, it announced that it will complete the formulation 

of an entire construction products line with low-GWP blowing agents by the 

end of 2016. Finally, NCFI Polyurethanes announced that it will complete 

the formulation of low-GWP custom formulated product foams (taxidermy, 

automobile, marine, and medical) by the end of 2016. Reformulation will 

also be complete for rigid molding and integral skin foams in the same time 

period, prior to their transition compliance dates. NCFI Polyurethanes is a 

division of Barnhardt Manufacturing Company and a leader in the 

manufacturing of flexible polyurethane foam. It offers a complete line of 

flexible foams for furniture seating, transportation seating, bedding, carpet 

underlay, and packaging. In addition, it innovates polyurethane foam 

solutions for spray foam insulation, roofing, marine flotation, packaging, 

specialty molding, and many other uses.

Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. today announced that it has joined EPA’s 

GreenChill program, which is a partnership between EPA and food 

retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the 

ozone layer and climate change. Roundy’s also announced that it will use 

HFC-free transcritical CO2 refrigeration technology in the six new stores 

that it is opening in in the following locations next year: Orland Park, 

Illinois; Westmont, Illinois; Naperville, Illinois; two stores in Chicago, 

Illinois; and Shorewood, Wisconsin. Starting in 2016, Roundy’s will use this 

technology in all new store builds. In addition, today it announced that it 

will also use this technology in all future store remodels that involve the 

replacement of the entire refrigeration system. Roundy’s is a retail grocery 

company that serves customers throughout Wisconsin and in the greater 

Chicago area under four retail banners: Pick ‘n Save, Copps, Metro 

Market, and Mariano’s. In 2014, Roundy’s became the first grocer in 

Wisconsin, and the third in the U.S., to utilize a transcritical CO2 

refrigeration system.

Target today announced that all of the new stand-alone coolers in its 

stores with a compressor capacity below 2,200 btu/hr will be HFC-free 

starting in January 2016. This action has Target moving out of HFC 

refrigerants in these applications long before the SNAP requirement comes 

into place in 2019. Target also announced its commitment to expand the 

use of CO2 refrigeration systems in new stores, and it currently has seven 

systems operating in Target stores and two additional stores under 

development that will use these refrigeration systems. In addition to using 

CO2 refrigeration systems, Target announced its plans to expand its use of 

HFO blends in refrigeration systems that are good candidates for this 

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technology. Furthermore, Target announced that its College Park, 

Maryland, location received GreenChill certification. Target is an upscale 

discount retailer with more than 1,800 stores in the U.S.

Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced that it will transition its entire 

platform to hydrocarbons by 2020. In particular, 20 percent of its entire 

medical and laboratory cold storage portfolio will be HFC-free by the end of 

2016, 65 percent of its refrigeration systems will be HFC-free by the end of 

2017, and it will be 80 percent HFC-free on blowing agents by the end of 

2017. At the same time, it will reduce the energy consumption of its entire 

cold storage portfolio by more than 50 percent by 2020. Thermo Fisher 

Scientific is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of scientific and 

medical cold storage equipment.

The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy today announced that 

it will work with the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute 

(AHRI); ACCA – The Indoor Environment and Energy Efficiency 

Association; Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors 

International (HARDI); and EOS Climate to develop and implement a 

Reclaimed HFC Credit Bank that can be a component of the Global 

Refrigerant Management Initiative (GRMI) that was announced at the 

United Nations Secretary General's 2014 Climate Summit. GRMI is 

developing initiatives aimed at reducing global HFC emissions by 30 

percent to 50 percent within 10 years. The Reclaimed HFC Credit Bank 

aims to utilize an HFC reclaim protocol under the American Carbon 

Registry to provide certified carbon credits for reclaimed HFC material, 

thereby helping to realize GRMI's commitment. The goal is to implement a 

market mechanism that allows building owners, manufacturers, and 

industry participants to expand the use of reclaimed HFCs. There will be a 

pilot project in 2016, with full implementation in the U.S. in 2017. The 

Reclaimed HFC Credit Bank is envisioned as being both consistent with, 

and further supportive of, domestic regulations concerning refrigerant 

management, including the extension of regulations issued under Section 

608 of the Clean Air Act to HFCs.

The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) today 

announced that it has formed a committee of experts to identify and 

prioritize research projects needed to fill critical knowledge gaps for the 

safe use of mildly-flammable refrigerants, and that it will commit $1 million 

to this new research effort to support code and standard activities related 

to the use of such refrigerants.

NEW EXECUTIVE ACTIONS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue to both 

expand the list of climate-friendly alternatives and reduce the use and 

emissions of HFCs through the SNAP program. Today, EPA is announcing 

its intention to initiate a new rulemaking during the first half of 2016 that 

would both propose to add to the SNAP list additional low-GWP 

alternatives and propose to change the status of higher-GWP substances 

where safer options are available.

In September 2014, EPA announced that it would explore options to 

improve refrigerant management practices in the U.S. that have been 

leading to the emissions of climate-damaging HFCs. Today, Administrator 

Gina McCarthy signed a proposal that would apply the same rules to both 

ozone-depleting and HFC refrigerants. EPA estimates that this rule would 

further reduce HFC emissions by about 7 million metric tons of CO2 

equivalent in 2025. EPA intends to finalize this rule in 2016.

Also in September 2014, EPA announced that it would work with the 

Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy and other interested 

governments, international agencies, private sector organizations, and civil 

society to organize a series of sector-specific workshops that would 

provide opportunities to share information on technologies, policies, and 

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standards. The first workshop, concerning the food cold chain – or bringing 

food from farm to market – is scheduled for November 2015. EPA will both 

continue to work with these organizations as well as host other stakeholder 

meetings to ensure a continued robust information exchange.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the publication 

of a report that summarizes the results of the DOE-funded testing program 

to evaluate the performance of alternatives to HFCs in mini-split air 

conditioning units in high ambient temperatures. The testing program was 

conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and guided by a 

panel of international technical experts from Brazil, China, Egypt, India, 

Italy, Japan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. The panel also included 

representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The 

testing program was launched in response to concerns that some 

stakeholders have raised about whether alternatives to HFCs can perform 

well in high ambient temperatures, and the results show that several viable 

replacements exist for both HCFC-22 and HFC-410A in those 

environments for mini-split air conditioning units. The report can be found 

at: http://web.ornl.gov/sci/buildings/research/equipment/

Also today, DOE announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 

disposition of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons 

(HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in a safe and environmentallyfriendly manner, including seeking new technologies to recycle these 

substances. The RFP seeks approaches to eliminate 8 million pounds of 

hazardous CFCs at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky, 

which enriched uranium for our nuclear stockpile during the Cold War. 

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) today announced a suite of new 

commitments. To demonstrate leadership through installing new 

technologies, the Navy's newest flight of DDG 51 class destroyers and 

newest amphibious transport dock ships will include new air conditioning 

and refrigeration plants that are expected to significantly reduce refrigerant 

greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, DoD commits to beginning the 

installation of low-GWP transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems at three 

U.S. commissaries in 2016. This action will build on prototype low-GWP 

refrigeration projects that DoD has carried out already.

To support R&D for alternatives to HFCs, DoD will make up to $3 million 

available over a three-year period to fund competitively-selected R&D 

projects that will mature the science of sustainable, non-ozone-depleting, 

low-GWP refrigerants for military applications. Also, the Army plans to set 

aside additional research funding over the next two years to evaluate HFCfree fire suppressants and refrigerants for military applications.

To demonstrate early compliance with new regulatory requirements related 

to HFCs, DoD’s goal is to update its existing Unified Facilities Criteria for 

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems in 2016 to 

require lower-GWP refrigerants that are identified under EPA’s SNAP 

program and that are commercially available and shown to be lifecyclecost-effective and to result in decreased lifecycle greenhouse gas 

emissions. Furthermore, DoD commits to converting refrigeration systems 

at European commissaries to low-GWP refrigerants by 2022. This builds 

on a prototype low-GWP refrigeration project that is already being carried 

out at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany.

Finally, DoD today made a commitment to strengthening existing 

collaborations and creating mechanisms to build new military-to-military 

and industry partnerships to share information and lessons-learned on 

emissions reductions and lower-GWP alternatives. This commitment was 

kicked off yesterday by the Army, which is hosting a two-day information 

exchange at Aberdeen Proving Ground for researchers interested in HFCfree systems and methods for military unique fire and explosion protection. 

This information exchange includes participants from the Army, Navy, 

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Marine Corps, Air Force, EPA, Sandia National Laboratory, and several 

coalition military partners including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, 

and Canada. The Navy will continue the momentum by participating and 

chairing meetings in late October 2015 and spring 2016, where it will 

discuss HFC management and lower-GWP alternatives with its NATO 

partners.

PROGRESS UPDATES FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Since the following 22 private-sector companies and organizations made 

commitments in September 2014 that will avoid the equivalent of 700 

million metric tons of CO2 through 2025, they have made robust progress 

against their commitments and are on track to deliver those emissions 

reductions. The Administration will continue to engage with these and other 

companies and organizations in order to understand how to best support 

further progress.

Arkema made commitments in September 2014 to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions from its operations by 30 percent below 2012 levels by 2020 

and to reduce its net energy purchases by an average of 1.5 percent per 

year through 2020. Arkema has achieved the first of those two goals 

already, and it is on track to meet the latter of those two goals through 

having reduced its net energy purchases by 2.9 percent in the past year. 

Arkema is also following through on its September 2014 commitment to 

control and, to the extent feasible, eliminate by-product emissions of HFC23 at all its fluorochemical production facilities worldwide. Arkema is a 

diversified worldwide manufacturer of specialty industrial chemicals and 

high-performance materials for use in renewable energy technologies and 

other sectors.

Carrier made a commitment in September 2014 to pursue HFC-free 

refrigerants across the cold chain by 2020. In the past year, Carrier 

provided technical analysis to support SNAP approval of CO2 as a natural 

refrigerant for transport refrigeration. Also in the past year, it developed 

prototype natural refrigerant trailer units in the U.S. In addition to the more 

than 1,600 supermarkets in Europe using Carrier’s HFC-free natural 

refrigeration technologies for food retail, the company installed its first food 

retail units in China this year using natural refrigerants to help lower 

emissions. Also in the past year, Carrier installed its first ultra-low-GWP 

HFO chiller. Carrier is a global manufacturer and distributor of hightechnology heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration solutions, and part of 

United Technologies Corp.

Chemours (formerly DuPont) announced in September 2014 that its new 

products were anticipated to reduce the greenhouse gas content of 

refrigerants by 90 million tons of CO2 equivalent in the U.S. and 245 

million tons of CO2 equivalent worldwide by 2025. In support of that goal, 

Chemours commercialized four new low-GWP products in 2015 as part of 

its OpteonTM family of products. Chemours was created through the spinoff of DuPont Performance Chemicals in July 2015, and it continues to 

facilitate the global transition to more sustainable refrigerants as the 

largest global supplier of HFO-1234yf.

Coca-Cola announced in September 2014 that it had more than 1 million 

units of HFC-free equipment throughout its global system, in support of its 

goal for 100 percent of its newly-purchased cold drink equipment to be 

HFC-free. Today that number is 1.5 million HFC-free units, with nearly 

100,000 of those units placed in North America. With more than 3,600 

beverages available globally, Coca-Cola is the world’s largest beverage 

company.

Danfoss made a commitment in September 2014 to champion a 

stakeholder task force to accelerate the adoption of standards and building 

codes for low-GWP refrigerants. In the past year, Danfoss assembled a 

broad and diverse stakeholder group that has been working to support 

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ASHRAE in the development of its refrigerant safety Standard 15. The 

stakeholder group has been actively working to raise awareness and 

educate model code groups to enlist their support in preparing codes once 

Standard 15 is ready. Danfoss is an international manufacturer of highefficiency products used in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Emerson Climate Technologies made a commitment in September 2014 

to launch a full line of compressors and other components with nonflammable low-GWP HFCs and to expand its product offerings that use 

CO2 as a refrigerant. In the past year, Emerson released refrigeration 

scroll and semi-hermetic compressors and other components with a range 

of HFC-HFO blends. For the specific uses, these non-flammable 

refrigerants have less than half the GWP of the HFCs historically used. 

Also in the past year, Emerson introduced new compression technologies 

and also control technologies that drive energy efficiency improvements in 

CO2 refrigeration systems. In addition, Emerson released a line of higherefficiency refrigeration scroll compressors. Finally, construction of the 

Emerson Innovation Center that was highlighted as part of the September 

2014 commitment is on schedule and the opening is planned for December 

2015. Emerson Climate Technologies is a global manufacturing and 

technology company in the heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration 

industry.

Goodman Global Inc. made a commitment in September 2014 to have a 

full product line of low-GWP air conditioners after EPA completed its 

evaluation under the SNAP program and approved the use of R-32, a 

lower-GWP refrigerant. Following up on that commitment, Goodman today 

announced that it will be offering for sale in 2016 the first-ever Package 

Terminal Air Conditioning (PTAC) system to utilize R-32, which has a 

significantly lower environmental impact than the most common 

refrigerants in use today due to R-32's lower GWP and significant energy 

use reduction. Goodman is an air conditioning and heating equipment 

manufacturer and a member of the Daikin Group.

Hillphoenix made commitments in September 2014 to commercialize a

CO2 booster system, to introduce a hydrocarbon self-contained door case, 

and to introduce a re-engineered service that utilizes its door technology to 

retrofit existing open display cases. Hillphoenix has carried through on all 

three of those commitments in the past year. Related to the first 

commitment, approximately 50 stores have installed new AdvansorTM 

CO2 booster systems. Related to the second commitment, Hillphoenix has 

several HFC-free self-contained R-290 display cases in supermarket 

applications. Related to the third commitment, Hillphoenix’s Close-theCase projects have enclosed over 12.3 miles of cases in 2015. This 

equates to $6.3 million in annual energy savings. Hillphoenix is a Dover 

Company and a manufacturer of commercial refrigerated display cases 

and specialty products, refrigeration systems, integrated power distribution 

systems, and walk-in coolers and freezers.

Honeywell made a commitment in September 2014 to transition the 

majority of its high-GWP HFC production to new low-GWP production and 

to reduce its high-GWP HFC production by nearly 50 percent on a CO2 

equivalent basis by 2020. In the past year, Honeywell started up two 

production facilities in the U.S. to manufacture low-GWP materials and 

completed 17 long-term supply agreements with customers across a range 

of industrial sectors. These binding commitments will replace HFCs with a 

total GWP of 77 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Also in the past 

year, Honeywell shipped enough low-GWP Solstice® products to replace 

HFCs with 10 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Honeywell is a global 

technology and manufacturing company that serves customers worldwide 

with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, 

homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials.

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Johnson Controls Inc. made a commitment in September 2014 to spend 

$50 million over the next three years to develop new products and improve 

and expand its existing low-GWP portfolio. In the past year, Johnson 

Controls spent more than $15 million for R&D on equipment that uses lowGWP refrigerants and it is on track to meet its commitment. Johnson 

Controls’ Building Efficiency business delivers products, services, and 

solutions that increase energy efficiency and lower operating costs in 

buildings.

Kroger announced in September 2014 that it would join EPA’s GreenChill 

program. In doing so, it also made commitments to establish a refrigerant 

management inventory and set emissions reduction targets; use advanced 

refrigeration technologies in new and remodeled stores where possible; 

and collaborate across the industry to identify and share service and 

operational practices that reduce emissions. In the past year, Kroger set a 

2015 emission reduction goal of 5 percent for all systems with more than 

50 pounds of refrigerant (with a stretch goal of 8 percent); committed to 

installing a stationary electronic emission detection system in all new 

stores; and opened its first store using a transcritical CO2 refrigeration 

system. Kroger is one of the world’s largest retailers.

Lapolla made a commitment in September 2014 to transition its entire 

product line of foam and coating systems to no longer use high-GWP 

HFCs by 2016. Lapolla has already fully commercialized an HFO spray 

foam technology for both insulation and roofing systems, and it is in the 

process of converting all of its customers to this technology. The products 

are third-party tested, approved, and audited by independent testing 

laboratories in both the U.S. and Europe. While the cost of the technology 

is approximately 10 percent higher, the value in yield (product coverage) 

and R-value (insulation value) is almost 20 percent higher so the net result 

is a 10 percent cost reduction. Lapolla is a manufacturer and global 

distributor of spray foam insulation and reflective roof coating technology.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) made a 

commitment in September 2014 to have its energy efficiency incentives for 

residential refrigerators take into consideration the GWP of the refrigerants. 

While eligible low-GWP products are not currently commercially available 

in its market, LADWP continues to seek out such products that also meet 

its stringent requirements for cost effectiveness and high efficiency. 

LADWP is the largest municipal utility in the U.S.

Mission Pharmacal introduced in September 2014 three new spray 

products in the Dr. Smith’s® line, all of which use a low-GWP aerosol 

technology. In the past year, all three products have been successfully 

introduced into their respective markets. Notably, Mission introduced the 

first zinc oxide aerosol product utilizing the HFO-1234ze propellant, and it 

can be found in more than 15,000 retail stores across the U.S. Mission 

Pharmacal is a third-generation, family-owned and operated healthcare 

company whose focus is to bring safe, innovative, and high-quality 

products to physicians, patients, and consumers.

PepsiCo announced in September 2014 a goal that all of its future point of 

sale equipment – coolers, vending machines, and fountain dispensers – 

purchased in the U.S. would be HFC-free by 2020. It also announced that 

it would begin purchasing new HFC-free equipment starting in 2015 in 

order to meet that goal. Following up on that commitment, PepsiCo 

anticipates that it will have placed approximated 275 new HFC-free units in 

the U.S. by the end of this year. In the past year, PepsiCo established a 

team to facilitate additional placements of these units through addressing 

barriers related to technology, regulation, supply chain, and serviceability. 

Also in the past year, PepsiCo established several training programs for its 

technicians to ensure that the highest standards are met for the new 

equipment. PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest food and beverage 

companies.

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Red Bull announced in September 2014 that it would order an estimated 

32,000 climate-friendly hydrocarbon coolers for 2015 and implement 

ongoing training of cooler service technicians from six partner companies 

for the repair and proper disposal of those coolers. Both of those were 

intended to support its commitment to the 100 percent procurement of 

ECO-Coolers for the cooling of its beverages where technically and legally 

feasible. Following up on its announcement in September 2014, Red Bull 

has ordered more than 42,000 hydrocarbon coolers so far in 2015 and it 

anticipates that it will order 54,000 hydrocarbon coolers in 2016. In 

addition, 65 percent of all the coolers that it purchased in 2014 were ECOCoolers. Finally, Red Bull has in the past year mandated and provided 

specialized training on end of life and repair of these coolers for all 

technicians handling hydrocarbon refrigerants. Since its inception in 1987, 

Red Bull energy drink has been distributed in over 167 countries, with 

more than 5.6 billion cans sold in 2014.

SEVO Systems made a commitment in September 2014 to enable a 

reduction of 12 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2020 by 

transitioning to a low-GWP alternative. In the past year, SEVO Systems 

achieved a reduction of almost 2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 

offering non-HFC solutions for fire suppression – utilizing state-of-the-art 

system hardware and design – in mission-critical hazards such as power 

plants, data centers, and oil and gas facilities. SEVO Systems is a global 

manufacturer of non-HFC fire system technologies.

Target made a commitment in September 2014 to install CO2 refrigeration 

systems in two stores in 2015, to partner with chemical producers to test 

HFOs, and to test HFC-free beverage coolers. In the past year, Target has 

taken several actions to meet and expand upon that commitment. First, it 

opened two food distribution centers utilizing HFC-free refrigerants for both 

the warehouse and the office space. Second, it opened two stores that use 

a hybrid CO2 / R-134a refrigeration system that will eliminate more than 

150 metric tons of CO2 equivalent each. Third, Target installed prototype 

beverage display cases that use R-290 and it is conducting performance 

tests against CO2. Finally, it converted six existing stores to test a new 

generation of lower-GWP HFO-blend refrigerants. Target is an upscale 

discount retailer with more than 1,800 stores in the U.S.

Thermo King made a commitment in September 2014 to offer product 

alternatives and retrofit services – for marine, truck, and trailer applications 

– that are high-performance and energy-efficient and use a refrigerant with 

about half the GWP compared to what was used. These alternatives would 

be available in 2015-2016 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and in 

the U.S. if EPA approves the alternative refrigerant. In the past year, 

Thermo King has successfully launched and is selling alternative trailer 

products and retrofit services in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These 

trailer products use a next-generation, lower-GWP refrigerant and have 

breakthrough coil technology that requires 30 percent less refrigerant. Also 

in the past year, Thermo King has been preparing to commercialize nextgeneration trailer and self-powered truck product and retrofit alternatives 

for the U.S. market that will be available if EPA approves the alternative 

refrigerant. Thermo King is a brand of Ingersoll Rand that manufactures 

transport temperature control systems.

True Manufacturing made a commitment in September 2014 to use only 

low-GWP refrigerants and low-GWP blowing agents in all future general 

use and refrigeration product development. It also made a commitment to 

develop low-GWP replacements for its existing products over the next five 

years. In the past year, True Manufacturing improved its production line 

readiness so that it currently has the capacity to produce 70 percent of 

overall annual production in hydrocarbons. Also in the past year, it made 

19 hydrocarbon models commercially available in its food service product 

line. By December 2015, True Manufacturing anticipates that 24 models 

will be commercially available in this product line. In addition, True 

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Manufacturing anticipates that 90 percent of its Standard Glass Door 

Refrigerator product line will be available in hydrocarbons by December 

2015. True Manufacturing is the largest manufacturer of self-contained 

commercial refrigeration in the nation.

The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy made commitments 

in September 2014 to take actions to support a Montreal Protocol 

amendment to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs and 

also to take actions and support policies with a goal to reduce the global 

HFC greenhouse gas contribution by 80 percent by 2050. In the past year, 

the Alliance has taken numerous actions in support of these commitments. 

For example, it participated in the India-U.S. HFC Task Force and other 

bilateral diplomatic efforts (e.g., China). In addition, it helped to facilitate 

the development of the DOE-funded High-Ambient Temperature Testing 

Program to evaluate the performance of alternatives to HCFC-22 and HFC410A in air conditioning units in order to address the main technical 

concern that has hindered progress against a Montreal Protocol 

amendment. Furthermore, the Alliance is committed to working with a 

broad range of stakeholders to organize a series of sector-specific 

workshops in which participants will share information on aspects of the 

transition from high-GWP HFCs in order to guide and inform the reduction 

schedule. The first of the four workshops will take place in November 2015 

and focus on the food cold chain, and the remaining three workshops will 

focus on air conditioning; foams; and fire suppression, solvents, and 

aerosols. Finally, the Alliance launched the Global Food Cold Chain 

Council and the Global Refrigerant Management Initiative. The Alliance for 

Responsible Atmospheric Policy is an industry coalition representing more 

than 95 percent of U.S. HFC production and a significant majority of the 

user industries.

The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) made 

a commitment in September 2014 to spend $5 billion in new R&D and 

capital expenditures to develop and commercialize low-GWP technologies 

over the next ten years. Following up on that commitment, AHRI’s member 

companies anticipate spending more than $255 million on such R&D and 

capital expenditures in 2015. In the past year, AHRI has continued to 

prioritize research on HFC alternatives through its Low-GWP Alternative 

Refrigerants Evaluation Program (AREP). In addition, it helped to facilitate 

the development of the DOE-funded High-Ambient Temperature Testing 

Program to evaluate the performance of alternatives to HCFC-22 and HFC410A in air conditioning units in order to address the main technical 

concern that has hindered progress against a Montreal Protocol 

amendment. Furthermore, it also launched the Global Refrigerant 

Management Initiative and three research projects that focus on: the risk 

profile of rooftop units that use mildly-flammable refrigerants; refrigerant 

management programs in place domestically and internationally; and 

energy produced by potential ignition sources in residential applications. 

Finally, it launched a joint effort with the United Nations Environment 

Programme called the Refrigerants Driving License (RDL) initiative. RDL is 

aimed at introducing globally-recognized minimum requirements and best 

practices for the sound management of refrigerants, and it will address 

refrigerant identification, handling, charging, recovery and recycling, leak 

testing, storing, and record keeping. AHRI is an industry association 

representing 90 percent of U.S. air conditioning, heating, water heating, 

and refrigeration manufacturing, and 70 percent of the global industry.

PROGRESS UPDATES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in 

September 2014 that it would continue to expand the list of climate-friendly 

alternatives to both ozone-depleting substances and high-GWP HFCs and 

that it was working on its next listing notice under the SNAP program. 

Following up on that commitment, in the past 12 months, EPA finalized 

four separate actions addressing the SNAP lists. EPA finalized a rule in 

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April 2015 that listed certain climate-friendly alternatives as acceptable in 

stand-alone commercial and household refrigerators and freezers, verylow-temperature refrigeration, non-mechanical heat transfer, vending 

machines, and room air conditioning units. In addition, EPA issued two 

Notices of Acceptability in October 2014 and July 2015 that expanded the 

SNAP program’s list of acceptable alternatives to include lower-GWP 

alternatives for refrigeration and air conditioning; foam blowing; solvent 

cleaning; aerosols; fire suppressants; and adhesives, coatings, and inks. 

Finally, EPA finalized a rule in July 2015 that will prohibit the use of certain 

HFCs where safer and more climate-friendly alternatives are available. 

That rule affects certain HFCs used in aerosols, foam blowing, motor 

vehicle air conditioning, and retail food refrigeration. EPA estimated that 

this action will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 to 64 million metric 

tons of CO2 equivalent in 2025.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced in September 2014 

that new R&D funding would be available to encourage next-generation, 

energy-efficient cooling technologies, including HVAC technologies that 

use alternative refrigerants and those that move beyond using refrigerants 

altogether. In April 2015, DOE announced nearly $2 million in funding to 

support two projects focused on improving the cost and performance of 

advanced vapor compression technologies that use refrigerants that have 

a minimal effect on the environment. At that same time, DOE announced 

nearly $6 million in funding to support five projects aimed at developing 

non-vapor compression technologies that will not use HFCs in refrigerants.

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has been working to fulfill 

the commitment made by the Administration in September 2014 to promote 

the use of safer alternatives to HFCs by Federal contractors. In May 2015, 

the Council proposed a rule to encourage contractors to procure 

alternatives to high-GWP HFCs when feasible. The proposed rule would 

also require limited contractor reporting to enable the Federal Government 

to better track progress and the impact of products containing HFCs. The 

Council – which is composed of representatives from the U.S. Department 

of Defense (DoD), the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – expects to 

issue a final rule in the coming months.

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