World Ozone Day: EU continues to phase out gases harming the ozone layer

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published new data, collected annually from companies, on the production, import, export, destruction, and use of ozone-depleting substances as raw materials in the EU. The data show how the EU has met its obligations under the Montreal Protocol and tracks progress on the more ambitious EU Ozone Regulation.

In 2023, the consumption (production and imports minus destruction and exports) of ozone-depleting substances in the EU stood at +1,306 metric tonnes, up from -2,954 tonnes in 2022. The production of controlled ozone-depleting substances in the EU was 20% lower than in 2022 while imports of these substance declined by 2%. These volumes are less than 1% of the total ODS that were consumed in Europe when the Montreal Protocol was agreed in 1986.

The EU is also committed to fully phasing out the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 2050. While progress to date is promising there remains a significant need for technological development to replace F-gases with less harmful alternatives, for example, in refrigerant use. F-gases were introduced as replacements for the ozone-depleting substances. They don't harm the ozone layer but as greenhouse gases they have a very high warming impact on the climate.