Amazon Italy removes refrigerant adverts
18th November 2018
ITALY: A group of Italian refrigeration contractors have been successful in getting HFC refrigerants removed from the Amazon website that were being sold in contravention of the F-gas regulations.
In September, Italy’s National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises, the CNA, revealed that a number of its members were taking Amazon to the Court of Rome, claiming unfair competition by allowing F-gas refrigerants to be sold to non-certified purchasers.
According to the CNA, the case has been settled without court intervention after Amazon spontaneously removed the offending F-gas sales from its portal. Amazon is also said to have activated a direct communication channel to allow CNA to report any further incidences. Amazon has also confirmed that all sellers on the site must follow Amazon’s sales guidelines and the rules in force in the country in which they operate. Those who do not are subject to actions that include the potential closure of their account.
The CNA first raised concerns over the issue two years ago, which highlighted how the lack of controls created serious problems of credibility with companies regarding the whole F-gas system.
In March, a presenter on a popular Italian tv station exposed the ease with which anyone without the necessary F-gas qualifications could purchase refrigerant by obtaining an 800g bottle of R410A cylinder from Amazon.
CNA claims that it carried out similar tests, managing to purchase two cylinders of refrigerant from two different sellers through Amazon, one Italian and one German, both without any controls or questions asked by either the sellers or Amazon.
The plaintiffs point to the fact that the F-gas regulation (517/2014) clearly specifies that fluorinated greenhouse gases can only be sold to people and companies in possession of F-gas certification.
Related stories:
Amazon in court over illegal F-gas sales – 26 September 2018
ITALY: A group of Italian refrigeration contractors is taking online retailer Amazon to court for continuing to sell HFC refrigerant without requiring buyers to be F-gas certified. Read more…
Phase down sparks rise in illegal sales– 21 March 2018
EUROPE: With the F-gas regulations beginning to bite and higher GWP refrigerants becoming expensive and scarce, evidence of illegal imports and sales is increasing. Read more…
End this F-gas farce – 9 September 2018
EUROPE: The supposedly ground-breaking European F-gas regulations have become a farce, with the authorities seemingly unwilling or unable to stem sales of illegal refrigerant. Read more…
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