World News

ITALY: Police and customs officers have seized illegal F-gas refrigerant, with an estimated market value of €463,200, at the Port of Venice.

USA: US shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps fell again in December, decreasing 21.4% to 408,244 units, compared to December 2024.

JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric is to change the name of its air conditioner and refrigeration compressor manufacturing company in Thailand.

JAPAN: Human clinical trials of Panasonic’s nanoe air purification technology is said to have shown overall improvements in hay fever symptoms.

FRANCE/USA: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a new two-year plan with ASHRAE focusing on the life cycle management of refrigerants.

USA: This year’s AHR Expo in Las Vegas earlier this month recorded an attendance of 53,315, a 4.4% increase on last year’s event in Orlando.

SPAIN: Authorities in Spain have arrested 10 people after uncovering and dismantling a criminal organisation responsible for the illegal trade of more than 15 tonnes of F-gases.

GERMANY: Viessmann Climate Solutions has extended its partnership with leading German football club FC Bayern Munich.

GERMANY: Coolektiv, the industry group founded in 2018 to push for a consistent implementation of the F-gas regulation and to campaign against the illegal trade in HFCs, has closed down.

BELGIUM: Belgian deputy prime minister, Vincent van Peteghem, paid a visit to Daikin’s EMEA R&D centre in Ghent, yesterday, touring the company’s specialised laboratories.

USA: Trane Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire LiquidStack, a US-based leader in data centre liquid cooling technology.

BELGIUM: Eurovent has published a document providing recommendations for Product Category Rules complementary to EN15804 or EN50693 for the development of EPD’s for commercial refrigeration equipment.

USA: Reuben Trane, the engineering pioneer and co-founder of Trane Technologies, is to be inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) as a member of the 2026 class.

GERMANY: Researchers from Germany and Japan claim to have unlocked a way to enhance the performance of magnetocaloric refrigeration and improve the material’s durability. 

AUSTRIA: Just published is a new book offering a complete overview of regulations, standards, and best practices regarding fire and explosion hazards in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump systems.

FRANCE: Eiffage Énergie Systèmes has made significant investments in refrigeration and air conditioning contracting companies in France and Germany.

USA: Florida-based Blue Frontier’s outdoor air system was named Product of the Year at this week’s AHR Expo in Las Vegas.

INDIA: Mitsubishi Electric has officially opened its new US$23m air conditioner and compressor manufacturing facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 

BELGIUM: The World Customs Organisation has reported the seizure of 168 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances and HFCs in its latest clamp down on the illicit waste trade.

USA: Carrier has reported its fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth in commercial HVAC in 2025, with data centre revenue growth of 50% to approximately $1bn.

HONG KONG: Researchers in Hong Kong claim to have developed the world’s first sub-zero Celsius elastocaloric freezing device, capable of reaching temperatures as low as -12℃. 

DENMARK: A European research project has used 3D-printing technology in the development of an energy-saving passive two-phase thermosyphon cooling solution for data centres.

USA: Trane has announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate next generation, oil-free centrifugal compressor technology for commercial HVAC applications.

BELGIUM: The “natural” refrigerants market accelerator Atmosphere ((formerly Shecco) has published a new report giving an overview of the state of “clean cooling” in the data centre sector.

USA: Modine has entered into a definitive agreement to spin-off its Performance Technologies business to become a pure-play climate solutions company.

USA: A $210m United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) contract recently awarded to Hudson Technologies has been put on hold after a bid protest from an unnamed competitor.

USA: Asset management company J F Lehman (JFLCO) has acquired majority stakes in two US refrigerant management companies.