Production, sales and emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases)

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• No published assessments

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

Emissions of F-gases contribute to global warming and are included in the basket of greenhouses addressed in the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol. F-gases presently account for around 2% of the EU-28 overall greenhouse gas emissions, with a rising trend. At the European level, policy measures have been implemented since 2006 to reduce F-gas emissions, by targeting:

• the 'leak-tightness' of equipment containing F-gases
• limiting the amounts of HFCs to be placed on the EU market
• increased reclamation of used F-gases 
• by avoiding the use of certain high-GWP F-gases in some applications in which more environmentally superior alternatives are available

As future emissions of F-gases are strongly determined by today’s consumption, this indicator also looks at the consumption metric.

Scientific references

• Preparatory study for a review of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases; Final Report & Annexes to the Final Report Prepared for the European Commission in the context of Service Contract No 070307/2009/548866/SER/C4 Authors: Schwarz et al. 2011: Schwarz, W., Gschrey, B., Leisewitz, A., Herold, A., Gores, S. Papst, I., Usinger, J., Oppelt, D., Croiset, I, Pedersen, P.-H, Colbourne, D. , Kauffeld, M., Kaar, K., Lindborg, A.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 1995, Second Assessment Report — Climate Change
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007, Fourth Assessment Report — Climate Change

Indicator definition

The indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of the following fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), differentiated by HFCs, PFCs and SF₆.

The indicator also tracks trends since 2007 in the aggregated production, bulk imports, bulk exports and consumption of F-gases, differentiated, where available by HFCs, PFCs and SF₆; additional F-gases compared to the emissions list are marked in bold.

‘Net supply’ is a parameter derived from company reporting under the F-Gas Regulation that provides information on the actual use of (bulk) F-gases by EU industries. Net supply is calculated by firstly adding reported amounts for:

• production
• imports (bulk imports only, imports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
• stocks held on 1 January of the reporting year
• ‘other amounts collected for reclamation or destruction from within the EU’,

and then subtracting the following reported amounts:

• exports (bulk exports only, exports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
• destruction (on-site by reporting companies and off-site within the EU on reporting companies’ behalf)
• amounts used as feedstock by reporting companies
• stocks held on 31 December of the reporting year.

Furthermore, the shares of intended applications of F-gas net supply in the latest available reporting year are given, differentiating between

• refrigeration and air-conditioning
• fire protection
• aerosols
• foams
• electrical equipment
• other, unknown or no information reported.

Units

Emissions: Mt CO₂-eq (GWP SAR): Million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents calculated with the global warming potentials (GWPs) as given in the IPCC 2^nd Assessment Report.

Production, imports, exports & consumption: Mt CO₂-eq (GWP AR4): Million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents calculated with the global warming potentials (GWPs) as given in the IPCC 4th Assessment Report.

Intended applications: Percentages based on physical tonnage and GWP AR4 weighted tonnage, respectively.

Policy context and targets

Context description

Fluorinated gases contribute to global warming and F-gases, which are not covered by the Montreal Protocol, are included under the UNFCCC. Emission reporting according to the 1996 IPCC guidelines and the 2000 IPCC 'Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories' uses the GWPs of the 2^nd IPCC Assessment report (SAR):

 The 'old' EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 extends this list of covered F-gases by HFC-236cb, HFC-236ea, HFC-245fa and HFC-365mfc. As of 2015, coverage of gases will be extended both for UNFCCC inventory reporting and for the scope of the 'new' EU F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 repealing Regulation 642/2006. This will be taken up in the autumn 2015 update of this indicator.

On European level two key legislative instruments focus on fluorinated gases:

• Regulation No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gas Regulation) and
• Directive 2006/40/EC relating to emissions from air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles (MAC Directive)

The 'old' F-Gas Regulation follows two tracks of action:

• Improving the 'leak-tightness' of equipment containing F-gases. Measures comprise: labelling of equipment containing F-gases, training and certification of personnel and companies handling this type of gases, containment of F-gases within equipment, and proper recovery of F-gases from equipment that is no longer used.
• Avoiding the use of F-gases in some applications in which more environmentally superior alternatives are already cost-effective. Measures include restrictions on the use and marketing of F-gases in these cases.

 The 'old' EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 extends the list of covered F-gases (in comparison to the IPCC reporting requirement) by HFC-236cb, HFC-236ea, HFC-245fa and HFC-365mfc.

The 'new' F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 maintains many measures of the 'old' F-Gas Regulation 842/2006, in particular related to leak prevention, recovery, certification of technicians and selected restrictions on the use and marketing of F-gases. Large reductions in F-gas use and emissions are expected from a new measure, which will progressively cap allowed sales of HFCs on the EU market ('phase-down').Reductions are also expected from bans of F-gases with a high Global Warming Potential (GWP).

The MAC Directive requires gradual phase-out of F-gases with GWP >150 in new systems in the period 2011-2017 in EU.

Targets

In the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, no separate target for fluorinated greenhouse gases has been specified.

In the EU context, the overall objective of the 'old' F-Gas Regulation was, together with the MAC Directive, to help fulfill the commitments of the European Union and its Member States under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for the period 2008 to 2012. The legislation was expected to break the growing trend in the EU and maintain F-gas emissions in EU-15 at 75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2010^[1]. In fact, the 2010 EU-15 F-gas emissions accounted for 78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents (according to the 2014 reporting). The 'new' F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 aims to reduce emissions by two-thirds of the 2010 level by 2030.

 ^[1] COM(2003) 492 final of 11.8.2003. This Commission proposal was the basis of both the Regulation and the MAC Directive.

Related policy documents

• COM(2012) 643 final. Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on fluorinated greenhouse gases. Adopted by the European Commission on 7 November 2012.
  The focus of the new proposal has shifted towards avoidance of F-gas use in new equipment. The core of the proposal foresees a cap on HFCs that can be sold in Europe, which will reduce HFCs in new equipment to a level of 21 % by 2030. The proposal is currently being negotiated between Council and European Parliament.
• Directive 2006/40/EC
  Directive 2006/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 relating to emissions from air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC
• Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
  Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; adopted at COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997
• Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases
  The 'old' F-gases regulation follows two tracks of action: Improving the prevention of leaks from equipment containing F-gases. Measures comprise: containment of gases and proper recovery of equipment; training and certification of personnel and of companies handling these gases; labeling of equipment containing F-gases; reporting on imports, exports and production of F-gases.  Avoiding F-gases in some applications where environmentally superior alternatives are cost-effective. Measures include restrictions on the marketing and use of certain products and equipment containing F-gases. The Regulation has been supplemented by 10 implementing acts or 'Commission Regulations' (see Documentation tab above). Furthermore, reporting provisions have been introduced to facilitate monitoring of the Regulation's measures and ensure that its objectives are being met.
• Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and repealing Regulation (EC) No 842/2006
  The 'new' F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 maintains many measures of the 'old' F-Gas Regulation 842/2006, in particular related to leak prevention, recovery, certification of technicians and selected restrictions on the use and marketing of F-gases. Large reductions in F-gas use and emissions are expected from a new measure, which will progressively cap allowed sales of HFCs on the EU market ('phase-down'). Reductions are also expected from bans of F-gases with a high Global Warming Potential (GWP).
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
  The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer: The  Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

The indicator presents GWP-weighted emissions of F-gases as officially reported by the EU-28 Member States.

Furthermore, the indicator presents aggregated production, imports, exports and net supply in units of million tonnes of CO₂-equivalents, which is the physical amount of F-gases produced, imported, exported or consumed, multiplied by their respective global warming potential. Data are based on company reporting under Article 6 of the 'old' F-gas Regulation 642/2006.

‘Net supply’ is a parameter derived from company reporting under the 'old' F-Gas Regulation 642/2006 that provides information on the actual use of (bulk) F-gases by EU industries. Net supply is calculated by firstly adding reported amounts for:

• production
• imports (bulk imports only, imports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
• stocks held on 1 January of the reporting year
• ‘other amounts collected for reclamation or destruction from within the EU’,

and then subtracting the following reported amounts:

• exports (bulk exports only, exports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
• destruction (on-site by reporting companies and off-site within the EU on reporting companies’ behalf)
• amounts used as feedstock by reporting companies
• stocks held on 31 December of the reporting year.

The 'old' EU F-Gas Regulation 842/2006 extends the list of covered F-gases (in comparison to the IPCC reporting requirement) by HFC-236cb, HFC-236ea, HFC-245fa and HFC-365mfc.

The reporting requirements under the 'new' F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 cover a largely extended list of gases. However, this does not come into effect before companies report on their 2014 activities, due 31st March 2015. Furthermore, reporting requirements under the IPCC do also change in 2015. In consequence, the new data situation as of 2015 will be reflected in the 2015 update of this indicator.

All information provided to the Commission and the EEA on transactions of F-gases in the EU is treated as strictly confidential. The Commission and the EEA have established procedures to ensure that all of the data relating to individual companies will be kept strictly confidential. No company-specific information is disclosed to the public; all company data are aggregated before publication. These procedures limit the release of data that might significantly rely on reports from less than three company groups. To this end, company groups that contribute to less than 5 % do not count toward the '3-company-rule'. Concerns regarding confidentiality can be addressed to the European Commission or to the entity designated by the European Commission.

Methodology for gap filling

No gap filling takes place.

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Data specifications

EEA data references

• National emissions reported to the UNFCCC and to the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism provided by Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG-CLIMA) , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Fluorinated greenhouse gases (aggregated data) provided by Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG-CLIMA)

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified

Data sets uncertainty

As a part of the calculation process for 'net supply', quantities reported for on-site destruction by the reporting company and quantities reported for destruction off-site on behalf of the reporting company are taken into account (with a negative arithmetic sign) as well as 'other amounts collected for reclamation or destruction from within the EU' (with a positive arithmetic sign). Summing up both destruction-related quantities might possibly result in both double counting and omissions: Double-counting is not impossible, as reporting companies might report as 'own destruction' the same quantity which was reported as 'destroyed off-site' by another company. Omissions are very probable as specialised destruction facilities (which do not report themselves) might have destroyed more used F-gases than those quantities received by reporting companies. Furthermore, an aggregate analysis of 'other amounts collected for reclamation or destruction from within the EU' performed in the 2013 EEA report on F-gases (EEA Technical report No 15/2013) reporting reveals that these amounts do not match the amounts reported for actual destruction, reclamation or exports to theses purposes. However, the absolute relevance of the reported destruction quantities was limited to approximately 1 % of total net supply in past years.

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified