Climate Week took place September 24-30, 2019. Many issues were raised during the week’s events, but one topic did not get enough attention—refrigerants. Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants are ubiquitous in commercial, industrial, and residential buildings and automotive applications, mainly stemming from uses in air conditioning and food storage, despite bans and phaseout regulations. The global warming potential of these refrigerants is 1,000 to 14,000 times higher than that of CO2. In addition, about 60% of refrigerant-related emissions arise from routine leaks from refrigeration and air conditioning.

Multiple HVACR companies are pushing for progress on sustainable refrigerants—low global warming potential replacements to traditional refrigerant options—beyond regulatory requirements. The gap between market leaders in this field and the rest is widening and sustainable refrigerant targets and agendas are becoming a differentiator in the industry.

This Navigant Research Analyst Insight report discusses this trend and how it is aligned with changing definitions of sustainability in HVACR as companies are expected to pay attention to a wide array of building decarbonization priorities. The report discusses how market leaders in refrigerants are differentiating themselves, and offers recommendations for HVACR manufacturers and vendors to play a more active role in sustainable refrigerant markets.