Industry Leadership: Environmental Leadership

As the world celebrates a global commitment to the phase-down of HFCs, it is worthwhile remembering that Australia has had controls on HFCs in place for over ten years.

While Australia’s and the international community’s commitment to reduce HFC emissions attracted attention in 2015, our end-use controls – like the ARCTick licence scheme – have been regulating HFC gases since 2005.

Australia is a world leader in managing HFC’s, CFC’s and HCFC’s thanks to the foresight of key refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) industry groups.

The three pillars of Australia’s environmental protection scheme to control these Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and Synthetic Greenhouse Gases (SGG) are import licensing, domestic licensing (ARCTick) and refrigerant recovery and destruction (Refrigerant Reclaim Australia).

This environmental stewardship has been in place for over 10 years, preventing emissions and ensuring the right players are ‘in the game’ of refrigerants.

While there have been a small handful of similar schemes in the world, none, until more recently, had the vision to include HFCs.

The success of the scheme is testament to the commitment of the Australian RAC Industry. Credit must go to the licensed technicians, the heart and soul of the Industry, who have given the scheme effect.

Equally, credit must go to those key Industry groups who rose to the challenge early, joining Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, Refrigerants Australia and the Australian Government in seeking to environmentally ‘future proof’ Australia by putting a scheme in place that addresses the changing environmental challenges.

The domestic licensing scheme has been amazingly supported by industry, with 80,000 business and individual licences in place. This number continues to grow.

Since 2003, the work of ARC-licensed technicians has contributed to 24.37 megatonnes of CO2-equivalent direct emissions reductions. And refrigerant recovery and destruction has prevented the emission of 5,000 tonnes of CFC, HCFC, and HFC into the atmosphere, saving ten million tonnes of stratospheric ozone from being destroyed.

The Australian RAC industry has had a huge influence on the Aussie way of life. It has not only provided comfort indoors, but by minimising the negative impact refrigerant emissions has on our outdoor lifestyle, the industry has helped the farmers on the land and even animal habitats. Australia should be proud of the impact of the RAC Industry. As the Hon Greg Hunt, Environment Minister, has publically stated, the Australian RAC sector has delivered more emissions savings than any other sector in the Australian economy.

ARC Member Associations