The supply and use of fluorinated greenhouse gases that cause global warming increased slightly across the European Union and the UK in 2020. This is the latest annual update on EU progress in the gradual reduction of the use of fluorinated gases published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in November entitled "Fluorinated greenhouse gases 2021".

The document provides an update on the data reported by companies on the production, import, export and destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the EU and the UK for the period 2007-2020. It also outlines key trends in the EU's supply of F-gases and monitors progress under the hydrofluorocarbon phasing-out schemes of the EU F-Gas Regulation and the UN Montreal Protocol and its so-called amendment of Kigali. The industry is replacing these fluorinated gases with more climate-friendly products.

F-gases contribute to climate change and account for 2.3% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the latest data from 2019. These synthetic chemicals are mainly used in refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps. They are considered potent greenhouse gases and have been regulated in the EU since 2006 to reduce their use and impact on global warming.

The EEA assessment also indicates the different quantities of fluorinated gases supplied for various industrial applications. These are expressed both in physical quantities (in tonnes) and in “global warming quantities”, i.e. physical quantities weighted by the global warming potential of hydrofluorocarbon gases and measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).

In 2020, the placing on the market of hydrofluorocarbons across the EU was 4% below the global market limit set by the quota system (2% in 2019). Companies that did not fully utilize their quota offset the few instances of quota overruns by importers of bulk HFCs and equipment importers. Although the demand for refrigerants remains high, there has been a shift towards alternatives with a lower global warming potential (GWP).

In 2020, the total supply of fluorinated gases (fluorinated gases) to the EU increased slightly after a continuous decrease from 2015 to 2019. Refrigeration and air conditioning continue to be key applications for these gases.

Despite a 7% increase in the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) compared to 2019, the consumption of HFCs in the EU in 2020 was 52% lower than the maximum imposed by the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

The EU remains on track as part of the HFC phase-out phase of the EU F-Gas Regulation: The placing on the market of HFCs across the EU in 2020 was 4% below the market limit.

As the available HFC quotas were not fully needed to cover demand, the reserve of allowances of suitable quotas to cover imports of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment as part of the phasing out of HFC continues to grow. The current size of the reserve represents around seven times the amount of such equipment imported in 2020 or 111% of the EU’s maximum amount of HFCs in 2021.