Dutch plan crackdown on illegal HFC trade
24th September 2019
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch government’s human environment and transport inspectorate has pinpointed reducing greenhouse gas emissions and halting the illegal trade in HFCs as key targets in its future plans.
The Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) supervises safety, sustainability, security and trust in transport, infrastructure, the environment and housing.
The government body’s recently published 2020-2024 Multi-year Plan targets a reduction in greenhouse gases as a major objective in two key areas: reducing leakage losses of ozone-depleting substances and F-gases, and reducing production and trade in these gases.
The ILT says it will consider setting up a national database for the registration of refrigerants, and will map sales routes in an attempt to reduce illegal trade. The ILT says it knows where the weak links are in the chain and claims to have intercepted 1600kg of illegal R134A. However it makes no mention of where and when this seizure was or the reasons why it was intercepted.
Attention will focus on shipments from China and Turkey entering the EU, as well as the container trade through Rotterdam, Europe’s largest and busiest port.
