Executive summary

Due to increasing population, rapid urbanisation, improving per capita income, and, most critically, an increase in global temperatures due to climate change, cooling demand is expected to increase significantly both in India and globally. This will increase the demand and consumption of potent refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are currently being used as refrigerants in cooling devices, until natural refrigerant-based cooling devices become commercially viable.

In the cooling industry, India is one of the top producers and consumers of refrigerants in the world. In accordance with the Montreal Protocol, the Government of India has implemented significant measures to control the production and consumption of synthetic refrigerants like CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs. However, insufficient actions are taken till now to avoid the emissions from the operational stage and end-of-life (EOL) of the already installed devices containing refrigerants. If no significant measures are taken beside controlling the production and consumption, a significant amount of refrigerants will collect over the coming decades, which will most likely get emitted into the environment. Refrigerant management is one method of limiting emissions in the refrigerant’s lifetime and promoting an orderly phase-out in developing nations. It involves refrigerant recovery, recycling, reclamation, reuse, and destruction. Hence, to control refrigerant emissions, it is crucial to adopt a refrigerant management approach and address the issue comprehensively throughout the lifecycle of the refrigerant.

This issue brief examines the current status of the refrigerant recovery, recycling, reuse, and destruction ecosystem in India with regards to regulations, laws, infrastructure and the various initiatives the Government of India has taken to curb the emission of these potent gases into the atmosphere. Additionally, the brief discusses the barriers coming in the way of the effective management of refrigerants in India.

Even though India has the least access to cooling, it is one of the biggest producers and consumers of synthetic refrigerants worldwide. In India, to a large extent, the unorganised sector caters to the servicing and EOL waste-handling needs. The study’s results suggest that although India has taken several initiatives to limit refrigerant emissions, various barriers still remain unaddressed. Limiting the refrigerant emissions from the cooling sector in India will require capacity building accompanied by a formalisation of the servicing sector, stringent regulations and reporting mechanisms, incentives to the end users and waste handlers, infrastructure, and coordinated industry efforts. These measures, directly or indirectly, will be critical actors in limiting refrigerant lifecycle emissions and help India achieve its ambitious net-zero targets by 2070.