Wholesalers said it appears the only way to keep adequate supplies is by increasing recycling and reclamation efforts. But the wholesaler organization Heating, Airconditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) surveyed its members and saw very little R-22 coming back from contractors for purity analysis and/or reclaim, creating fears that supplies of R-22 will dry up sooner rather than later. There are those within HARDI calling for better efforts on the wholesalers' side to alert contractor customers to this issue.
At the same time some parts of the world, like Europe, face pressure from environmentalists to phase out HFCs because of global warming issues. Thus far, the HVACR industries in those countries have rebuffed that push by pointing out the energy-efficiency advantages of HFCs over alternatives offered by environmentalists (with energy usage a factor in global warming) and promising to better police itself in terms of refrigerant-handling practices.