The environmental impact of refrigerants is significant
Many people may be surprised to learn that refrigerants (F-gases) are the fourth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Finland. In 2019, F-gases accounted for approximately 3% of Finland’s total greenhouse gas emissions.[1] Even a small amount released into the atmosphere can have a major impact: one kilogram of the most commonly used refrigerant can correspond to emissions comparable to flying around the world one and a half times. For example, it is estimated that around 570,000 kg of refrigerants were released into the Finnish atmosphere in 2010 alone[2].
In today’s society, customers and end users increasingly expect products and services to be produced and delivered in accordance with sustainable development principles. Many of our partners recognize that refrigerant reclamation, restoring refrigerants to new product specifications, reduces the need for raw materials, energy consumption and logistics associated with the production of new refrigerants.
On average, more than one fifth (21.4%) of refrigerants originally classified for destruction can actually be reclaimed [3]. Based on our experience of processing over 300 tonnes of refrigerants, we estimate that with proper recovery and sorting, more than 60% of recovered refrigerants can be reused as raw material for further processing. The gradual phase-down of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, combined with refrigerant reclamation, provides an environmentally responsible pathway towards more sustainable cooling solutions.
F-Gas regulation
The EU’s new F-gas regulation (No. 517/2014) was published in May 2014. The aim of the regulation is to protect the environment from harmful F-gases and reduce their emissions by 60% by 2030. This phase-down is implemented through an F-gas quota system, which gradually limits the import of F-gases into the EU.
Since the beginning of 2020, the use of F-gases with a GWP value of 2500 or higher in the servicing and maintenance of refrigeration equipment has been restricted, with some exceptions. One common refrigerant with a GWP above 2500 is R404A, which is still widely used in commercial refrigeration and grocery retail applications in Finland. Substances covered by the restriction may still be used in existing equipment until 2030, provided that the refrigerant is reclaimed, meaning previously used refrigerant that has been purified and restored to meet new product specifications.
EcoScandic Oy - Environmental policy
The foundation of Eco Scandic Oy’s environmental policy is to transform the refrigeration sector towards a circular economy model by gradually replacing imported virgin refrigerants (F-gases) with reclaimed refrigerants restored to new product specifications, until more environmentally sustainable solutions replace current heating and cooling technologies. Reclaimed refrigerants have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to new products. The average carbon footprint of new HFC refrigerants is approximately 11.21 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram produced, whereas the footprint of reclaimed refrigerant is approximately 0.01 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram produced.
Eco Scandic commits to complying with all regulatory requirements in accordance with environmental permits and End-of-Waste (EoW) permits issued by the authorities. Our environmental policy focuses on a strong commitment to environmental protection, implemented through the prevention of environmental pollution and other measures relevant to the company’s operational environment. You can follow the latest environmental developments and industry news through our company’s social media channels.
Key environmental objectives:
- Increasing both customer recycling rates and Eco Scandic’s own recycling rate of recovered refrigerants
- Reducing the amount of hazardous waste generated
- Increasing the carbon handprint of our customers
- Reducing the overall carbon footprint
- Raising awareness of the impact of F-gases on climate change and ozone depletion
We have successfully doubled our customers’ recycling rate within four years — from 30% in 2016 to 60% in 2020. This improvement has been largely driven by the introduction of decontaminated recovery cylinders and increased awareness of proper refrigerant sorting. Our goal was to raise the recycling rate to over 70%, and this target has nearly been achieved. In 2023, the recycling rate reached 69.8%. At the same time, the volume of received refrigerants has increased, and the amount of reclaimed refrigerant has grown significantly. Our aim is to further increase incoming volumes while continuing to improve recycling rates. This is achieved by expanding the availability of recovery cylinders, offering compensation for properly sorted refrigerants and continuously improving the usability of our services. By increasing recycling rates, the generation of hazardous waste is reduced, ensuring that only non-recyclable materials are sent for destruction. In Finland alone, proper sorting could reduce hazardous waste by tens of tonnes annually. Because reclaimed refrigerant has a significantly lower carbon footprint than newly produced refrigerant, companies whose operations rely on refrigerants can achieve substantial emission reductions through reclamation.
How can we help?
Eco Scandic is the first company in the Nordic region focused on refrigerant reclamation, restoring refrigerants to virgin-grade quality through advanced recycling.
Our mission is to provide sustainable circular economy solutions that help customers maximize the value of their resources by extending the lifecycle of refrigeration systems while reducing emissions.
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