At the end of the first day of the 11th edition of ATMOsphere Europe 2021 the messages that the participants bring home are many but in particular one remains imprinted in the mind: The contrast between "dirty cooling and clean cooling", dirty cold and clean cold, done by Marc Chasserot, founder of ATMOSphere (former Shecco) at the opening of the works.

An action in favor of the climate is urgent and it is therefore urgent to give up the "dirty cold" in favor of the clean one, says Chasserot. What is meant by clean cold? In this regard, ATMOsphere and the Center for Sustainable Cold of the University of Birmingham have drawn up a manifesto entitled "Defining Clean Cooling" which clearly defines clean cold in all its meanings.

Clean Cooling represents a holistic approach to refrigeration and air conditioning systems that incorporates the most efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, while addressing the company's pressing need for cooling equipment in developing countries. It stands as a paradigm at the intersection between the Paris Agreement, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals.

There are many forms that sustainable cold can take, but certainly the easiest to achieve is the use of natural refrigerants. The document reads: “by definition, clean cold includes the complete transition from fluorinated refrigerants to natural refrigerants, including CO2, ammonia, hydrocarbons, water and air“. Natural refrigerants are therefore the easiest and most affordable step to reduce CO2 equivalent emissions in the sector and limit all other possible environmental damage related to the use of new molecules with a dubious impact on the ecosystem.

The ongoing revision of the F-Gas Regulation as well as the COP 26 in November are a golden opportunity for the Policy to demonstrate its serious intention to act in favor of the climate. But if this does not happen, there are other elements that will still push towards clean cold and natural refrigerants: The new environmental awareness that is making its way into society and the shift of investment funds towards cleaner technologies.

If investors move towards sustainable cold solutions, it means that they see a business there. And that the business really exists is demonstrated by the choices of many companies that in recent years have expanded their portfolio of offers for natural refrigeration. The TEKO case described by Andreas Meier, Managing Director of the company is exemplary: "Originally TEKO produced HFC racks which were the core of our business. Up until about 4 years ago we were producing only 30% of natural technology and in the last 4 years we have had an exponential increase in demand and production for natural refrigerants. Today the F-gas business represents only 5% of TEKO's business”. It is even more interesting to know that "These trends stemmed from the requests of end-users who carried out risk analyzes and saw how much more convenient it was for them to make market choices with longer and shorter prospects, expensive also regarding the supply of a refrigerant not subject to bizarre market trends”.

TEKO is a company that flourishes. It has orders far beyond its capacity and plans to increase the workforce. But, says Andreas Meier: "I am sure that we are not the only ones and that many companies are in our situation". 

Many are European, confirming that natural refrigerants not only mean environmental sustainability but also business and job creation for and in Europe.