China Releases List to Guide and Promote Low-Global Warming Potential Alternatives to Ozone-Depleting Substances
14 June 2023 - China released a List of Recommended Alternatives to Ozone-Depleting Substances (hereinafter referred as “the List”) to guide and promote low-global warming potential alternatives to ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Although the List is not legally enforceable, it does play a major role in encouraging and supporting scientific research, technical development, and market deployment of ODS alternatives in China, consistent with China’s obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It is noteworthy that all of the alternatives identified in the List have 100-year global warming potentials below 750. An annotation to the List mentions that relevant environmental protection and safety regulations and standards shall be applied when selecting and using the ODS alternatives.
This List recommends 23 alternatives to three HCFCs, including HCFC-22, HCFC-141b, and HCFC-142b, which account for 99% of the total production of HCFCs in China. The List includes 7 refrigerant alternatives, 7 alternatives for foam blowing agents, and 9 alternatives for cleaning solvents, involving the room air conditioner, residential heat pump water heater, industrial and commercial refrigeration-system, foam, cleaning, and other sectors. ODS alternatives for the mobile air conditioning sector had not yet been officially identified at the time of this writing.
The IGSD English translation of the List for reference purposes only is here.
IGSD resources (selected examples):
- Xiaopu Sun, Pu Wang, Tad Ferris, Hui Lin, Gabrielle Dreyfus, Baihe Gu, Durwood Zaelke, & Yi Wang, Fast Action on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants and Nature-Based Solutions to Help Countries Meet Carbon Neutrality Goals (Advances in Climate Change Research) (August 2022).
- Kristen N. Taddonio, Xiaopu Sun, Tad Ferris, and Stephen O. Andersen, Status of Patents and Legal Challenges: Patents Related To the Use of HFO-1234yf In Auto Air Conditioning (3 December 2021).