The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), an environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, has published a free refrigerant transition hub to help navigate regulation changes implemented by the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. Enacted in 2020, the AIM Act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase down HFC refrigerant greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2036.

“HFC regulations from the AIM Act and several states are pressuring [food] retailers to transition to climate-friendly refrigerants,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “Retailers need neutral information to help them make the right decisions. NASRC works in partnership with the supermarket industry, so we are uniquely positioned to identify the gaps in available resources.”

The federal phasedown of HFCs is expected to result in refrigerant shortages and significant price increases. In Europe, refrigerant prices increased by 900% following a similar HFC phasedown. Also, new legislation introduced in states such as California proposed to ban the sale and distribution of virgin HFC refrigerants as early as 2025, further driving the need for natural refrigerant solutions.

The  Refrigerant Transition Hub includes some of the following resources:

• HFC Policy Tracker – An interactive map that helps navigate the complex system of regulations by tracking the latest policies at the federal and state levels.
• Natural Refrigerants in Supermarkets Factsheet – An overview of why natural refrigerants in supermarkets are one of the most impactful and cost-effective climate solutions.
• Nat Ref Tech Library – A comprehensive collection of presentations on the latest natural refrigerant technologies.

NASRC will continue to evolve the Hub as state and federal governments pass new legislation.