The 30-year protocol is an international agreement designed to reduce substance emissions that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer.

“We could not be more pleased to have earned this recognition. Receiving the Partnership Award is a great honor and acknowledgment of the tireless work ASHRAE and our members are doing to support the phase-out activities of ozone-depleting substances around the world,” said Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D., the society’s 2017-18 president. “We are proud to be a part of this initiative and look forward to continuing our partnership with U.N. Environment as we work toward a more sustainable built environment.”

U.N. program officials said “the treaty that saved the ozone layer” led to the elimination of more than 99 percent of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals and significantly contributed to climate change mitigation.

“I congratulate ASHRAE for this well-deserved award honoring its exceptional efforts to support the advancement of technologies which help protect the ozone layer,” said Tina Birmpili, head of the U.N.’s ozone section. “We appreciate the organization’s dedication to the Montreal Protocol and its contribution to the success of the treaty.”