Beating the HFC phase down targets

The NZ EPA released import data today for 2025, and it shows real progress towards the Kigali phase out of HFCs in New Zealand. For 2025 imports of bulk refrigerants where 525kT eC02 (AR5) already below the 2030 cap, and 37% below the 2025 cap. This puts New Zealand in step with Europe where use is around 40% below Kigali, and well ahead of the rest of the world.

525kT is also a halving of bulk refrigerant imports by GWP since 2020 which is massive progress for the industry in New Zealand in 5 years. But the work continues - we now have to halve that number again by 2036.

We have to get better at refrigerant collection, we need to get better at keeping refrigerants in the system, and we need to keep up the move to natural refrigerants. 

I like to think that RefDestruct has played a part in making this happen by helping collect and destroy the most polluting refrigerants out there and making it cheaper and easier for companies to make the change to lower GWP refrigerants. For 2025 RefDestruct destroyed 28,000 gwp Tonnes, taking the total destroyed in 2025 across the three big collectors of refrigerant to 81,000 Tonnes.

In 2026 we want to keep helping companies do this better – so if you work with refrigerants or own refrigeration equipment and want help to lower your environmental impact, please get in touch, and hopefully we can help you too.