Lifecycle Refrigerant Management: Where Have We Come From? Where Are We Going?

Delivered at the CCAC Workshop on Fluorocarbon Banks Inventories and National Plans on 6 July and updated on 9 July 2025 while LRM proposal from Cuba was being considered.

So, where have we come from?

Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM) is a term you may have heard only recently. It was coined by our colleagues from civil society — EIA, NRDC and IGSD — in their groundbreaking 2022 report, “LRM: The 90 billion ton opportunity.”

But while the jargon might be new, the concept isn’t. The Montreal Protocol has, for decades, addressed many aspects of LRM. The Multilateral Fund (MLF) has supported capacity building in Article 5 countries to prevent leaks, promote recovery and recycling, and ensure safe handling of refrigerants. Refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) training schools and servicing technicians worldwide have benefited from MLF with training and granted refrigerant identifiers and recovery/recycling machines. The TEAP has often highlighted the value of recovery, recycling and reclamation, while many governments have put in place policies like venting bans and mandatory recovery. The MLF has even funded ODS destruction projects.

So what’s actually new? It’s this broader systems thinking — the true lifecycle approach — and the shared excitement that we can finally implement comprehensive LRM and prevent these harmful chemicals from ever reaching our atmosphere.

A quick look back

In 2021, the government of Japan and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) launched the Initiative on Fluorocarbons Lifecycle Management (IFL). The IFL Secretariat was established, holding seminars and developing the Resource Book on Lifecycle Management of Fluorocarbons in early 2022. Soon after, civil society published their influential LRM report.

2022 and 2023 were pivotal. In December 2022, the MLF Executive Committee, through Decision 91/86, opened a funding window for Article 5 countries to prepare national inventories of banks of controlled substances and management plans.

Then in 2023, Parties adopted Decision XXXV/11 — requesting a TEAP report and a workshop on LRM, and crucially, asking the ExCom to explore funding for countries with completed inventories and plans. By December, through Decision 93/105, the ExCom tasked the MLF Secretariat to prepare a consolidated report by its 97th meeting this coming December — pulling together the TEAP findings, the October 2024 workshop outcomes, and preliminary results from countries’ inventories and plans.

So now what? Where are we going?

1. The inventories

A hundred Article 5 countries are already undertaking inventories of ODS/HFC banks and drafting national action plans. Why are these so critical?

Inventories help us understand how best to prevent refrigerant emissions and environmental harm. They guide countries to choose the right business models and financing options to manage these banks. Robust inventories also quantify emissions reduction potential — essential for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and for accessing not just MLF support, but broader climate finance.

2. The potential MLF funding window

Later this year, the MLF Executive Committee will consider establishing a dedicated funding window for LRM, particularly focused on end-of-life management of refrigerants.

This is why we’re emphasizing inventories and action plans. The CCAC will soon release a practical guide on how to develop these national plans.

But let me be clear: there’s no guarantee yet. It will ultimately be up to the Parties to decide. I encourage you to reach out to ExCom members for more information.

Meanwhile, at the 47th Open-ended Working Group Meeting of the Montreal Protocol in July 2025, Parties are discussing a decision proposed by Chile, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. This could task the TEAP with developing studies and strategies for addressing the growing accumulation of refrigerant gases nearing end-of-life in Article 5 countries. Such a decision would strengthen the case for a funding window and clarify how much support developing countries truly need.

3. Other financing options

Even with a possible MLF funding window, we know the MLF can’t shoulder every LRM cost. We must explore other options: extended producer responsibility (EPR), public-private partnerships, tax incentives, voluntary and compliance carbon markets (including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement), and more.

It’s rarely about picking just one solution — usually it’s a combination of financing approaches tailored to each country’s context.

4. Transboundary movement challenges

Efforts are underway to better align the Montreal Protocol and the Basel Convention. This is crucial for managing the cross-border movement of unwanted refrigerants for reclamation or destruction. Challenges remain, and we’ll hear more on this topic later today.

5. Learning from experience and adapting

Developing countries have long reported difficulties in recovery, reuse, recycling and reclamation — despite years of training programs and thousands of trained technicians. So why aren’t these practices widespread yet?

We need to dig deeper: What do countries really need? How can we make recovery and recycling profitable for the servicing and waste sectors? Should we also ramp up outreach to end-users, who ultimately drive refrigerant demand?

Building the entire LRM ecosystem is just as critical as finding solutions for end-of-life refrigerants..

My big dream

I may be small (as you can see), but I carry a 90 billion ton dream. I know everyone in this room and online shares this passion, even as we juggle countless responsibilities. We’re busy because we care.

Remember — without the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer might be gone, and climate catastrophe would already be upon us. It’s sobering that last year, Earth’s average temperature topped 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.

We often hear the world is on a runaway train heading for a climate cliff. But it’s not too late. Super pollutants like HFCs are responsible for half of today’s warming. This community holds one of the emergency brakes: a fast HFC phasedown coupled with strong LRM.

Let’s pull that brake together.