France Reports Declining Refrigerant Emissions

France

France: France’s latest refrigerant emissions inventory, released in September 2025 by AFCE (Alliance Froid Climatisation Environnement) and Citepa, shows continued progress in reducing fluorinated gas emissions. The report’s release comes as the updated European F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 enforces stricter requirements from March 2024 onwards, including expanded technician certification, updated GWP-based labelling from 2025 for all fluorinated gas systems (including HFOs), broader leak detection obligations for HFOs and mobile systems, and progressive market bans on certain refrigeration and air conditioning equipment through 2050. The regulation also tightens rules on the reuse of high-GWP refrigerants and increases mandatory recovery responsibilities. With AFCE and Citepa noting that 75% of operating refrigerants in France still belong to the HFC family, the country’s transition planning and recovery efforts remain critical as the sector adapts to new compliance demands.

Source: Refindustry