Ecodesign and WEEE

The new Ecodesign regulation for room air conditioners has set a precedent in recognising the contribution of refrigerants in the environmental footprint of products by providing a bonus in energy efficiency requirements for products using refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) below 150. However, the measure has somewhat poor visibility, as it is not reflected on the corresponding energy label. Similar opportunities for introducing low-GWP bonuses could arise for several other refrigerant containing product categories that are currently being discussed under Ecodesign, including commercial & professional refrigeration, boilers and water heaters and tertiary air conditioning. NGOs’ preferred means of accounting for the environmental impact of refrigerants would be a progressive ban of refrigerants with GWP > 150, with the second best option being a malus on energy efficiency requirements (ie stricter efficiency requirements) for appliances using high GWP refrigerants. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive that is currently being recast and which stipulates that each producer is responsible for the end of life costs of its own products, could provide additional opportunities for promoting natural refrigerants through for example developing low GWP criteria to differentiate financial responsibility & standardization under producer responsibility schemes.