World News

Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World

UK News

Latest news and developments in the United Kingdom

Products

Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology

Features

General articles, applications and industry analysis

EFCTC steps up action against illegal refrigerants

BELGIUM: EFCTC, the refrigerant producers group, reports over 150 leads received by the confidential Action Line set up to combat the illegal trade in HFCs.

With recent seizures in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland and Romania, discussions are also being held with national enforcement authorities that is hoped to lead to both further seizures of illegally imported HFCs as well as the prosecutions of offenders. 

One of the main routes of entry into the European Union has been the sale of HFCs in disposable cylinders, which are illegal in the EEU. Investigations into this trade is said to have led to over 180 take-downs of products from the internet.

“It is vital that we continue and step up actions against illegal trade in HFCs.” stressed EFCTC chairman Nick Campbell. 

The Action Line was opened in March and is operated on EFCTC’s behalf by the EQS Group. It promises that anyone is able to report suspicious activities easily, in confidence, and anonymously, if desired.

It was introduced to counter the considerable black market in refrigerants, created by huge price increases and product scarcity in Europe brought on by the HFC phase down.

The Action Line can be accessed here.

Related stories:

EFCTC introduces illegal refrigerant reporting “hotline” – 19 March 2019
EUROPE: Illegal refrigerant imports and sales activity in Europe can now be easily reported, and in confidence, through a new website established by the refrigerant producers group EFCTC. Read more…

Latest News

18th March 2024

Joint venture adopts Epta brand

ITALY: All activities under the recently announced Epta and Viessmann Refrigeration joint venture are to operate under the Epta brand.
18th March 2024

Low carbon heat briefing

UK: The SIRACH network is hosting a half-day briefing at London’s iconic Shard to share the findings of the Lot-Net project. 
18th March 2024

UK heat pump uptake too slow

UK: The UK must achieve an eleven-fold increase in heat pump installations if it is to hit government targets of 600,000 heat pumps installed per year by 2028.
18th March 2024

Refrigeration’s star engineer Forbes Pearson dies

UK: Stephen Forbes Pearson, co-founder of Star Refrigeration and one of the world's greatest refrigeration engineers, has died at the age of 92.
17th March 2024

132 Güntner dry coolers for Red Sea project

SAUDI ARABIA: German manufacturer Güntner has supplied 132 dry coolers, each with 18 fans, to a 32,500TR district cooling project in Saudi Arabia.
17th March 2024

NZ professor brings fridge workshops to UK

UK: Don Cleland, a professor of process engineering at Massey University in New Zealand, is hosting a series of refrigeration workshops in London this summer.