F-gases: All you need
to know

Playing a vital role in society

Refrigerant gases contribute to the high level of safety required for modern cooling and heating systems.

These gases are more commonly known as fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), but also as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrofluoro-olefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoro-olefins (HCFOs). They are used every day to keep food fresh and safe to eat, in appliances such as fridges, freezers, car air conditioning units and to keep our houses warm with heat pumps. They even cool life-saving vaccines. 

Certain medical-grade F-gases are used as propellants in life-saving metered dose inhalers (MDIs) for the treatment of a range of respiratory conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

F-gases are highly energy efficient, effective and non-toxic. However, some can contribute to global warming if released to the atmosphere. The EU aims to reduce  global warming emissions from F-gases by two-thirds by 2030 through the F-gas regulation. This site helps tell you how this will happen and explains why F-gases are so important and irreplaceable.

How are F-gases regulated?

While we welcome regulation and the exploration of new low GWP refrigerant technologies, we strongly believe that F-gases should not be classed as PFAS compounds under EU legislation. This is because they are not bioaccumulative or toxic to humans and break down naturally.

Benefits of F-gases

F-gases are used in the manufacture of a great range of products and appliances that we rely on in our everyday life. They are highly effective, energy efficient and non-toxic.

Latest News

06 Jul 2022 Position Paper

EFCTC Position Paper on the F-Gas Regulation

Supporting sustainable ambition and stronger enforcement of the F-gas Regulation to promote Europe’s transition towards decarbonization The European FluoroCarbons Technical Committee (EFCTC), repre...
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27 May 2022 EFCTC News

F-Gases Explained – a new guide from EFCTC

Everything you need to know about fluorinated gases, their role in decarbonising Europe and how they are regulated.
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10 Sep 2021 Press Release

What the EFCTC is doing to demonstrate that the REACH restriction on PFAS should not include F-gases

EFCTC received a positive response from other associations and downstream users following its webinar on F-gases as PFAS held on 3 September 2021. EFCTC urged the participants to submit a response to...
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