Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM)

Implementing LRM practices can cut about 39 Gt CO2e of HFC and HCFC emissions between 2025 and 2050 and up to 67 Gt CO2e emissions by 2100.

What is Lifecycle Refrigerant Management?

Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM) is an approach that focuses on avoiding and reducing refrigerant leaks, promoting refrigerant recovery, and increasing reclamation rates to mitigate unnecessary refrigerant use and emissions (EIA, NRDC and IGSD 2022).

Benefits of LRM:
  1. Prevents emissions of harmful substances, protecting both the climate and the ozone layer.
  2. Reduces refrigerant leaks, improving cooling efficiency, cutting operational costs, and minimizing indirect emissions from energy use.
  3. Promotes resource efficiency and reduces carbon footprint through reuse of refrigerants and decreasing reliance on virgin substances.
  4. Generates new employment opportunities, e.g. in system maintenance, recovery, recycling, and environmental auditing.
LRM promotes following management practices: 
  • Maintaining accurate and comprehensive accounting of refrigerants, through inventories, to track their use and estimate emissions; 
  • Improving the design of new equipment to prevent leakage during operation, enable the switch to climate-friendly refrigerants, increase energy efficiency, and facilitate responsible decommissioning and recycling;
  • Applying good and safe practices for installation, servicing, and monitoring to reduce leakage during operation of equipment;
  • Recovering refrigerant at the point of equipment decommissioning, with recycling or reclaiming of used refrigerants as viable options to decrease demand for virgin refrigerant production; 
  • Destroying recovered refrigerant only for substances that are no longer viable and needed, using environmentally sound technology; 
  • Ensuring environmentally sound management of decommissioned refrigeration, airconditioning and heat-pump equipment.
Integrating LRM in NDCs

In addition to phasing down HFCs as quickly as possible, and integrating energy efficiency improvements along the way, the CCAC Guidance on Sustainable Cooling Approaches for Enhanced NDCs also recommends countries to apply LRM, or the sustainable management of refrigerants throughout the life of refrigerant and its equipment. Including an LRM approach in an NDC will enable multiple benefits for the atmosphere and can also support access to sustainable cooling, while also generating jobs and additional income to national industries. In short, integrating LRM in your country’s sustainability plans will bring benefits for the ozone layer, for climate, for global health, for food security and for economies.

CCAC Project: Electronic Tracking System for Refrigerants

In Vietnam, CCAC is supporting a design of an electronic tracking system on the flow of refrigerants in the country. This new system will be linked to the government’s platform for registration of refrigerant users.

The CCAC project is implemented by the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC) & Environment and Ecology Institute (EEI) in a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam.

Driving Global Action on Sustainable Cooling through Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM)

Through the CCAC Cooling Hub, leading partners in the cooling sector come together to:

• Elevate awareness on the critical role of Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM) in mitigating climate impacts and achieving multiple benefits.
• Support developing countries to implement ambitious LRM approaches, aligning with national climate goals.
• Mobilise and facilitate access to financial, technical, and policy resources necessary for successful LRM strategy deployment.
• Foster and champion international collaboration, fostering dialogue and best practices to accelerate sustainable cooling solutions worldwide.

Membership in CCAC Cooling Hub is voluntary and open to everyone working in the sector.
Spotlight Resources
The Japan Example
Ozone Secretariat Workshop On Life-Cycle Refrigerant Management 2024
Remote video URL