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shecco

shecco is a market accelerator for climate friendly technologies, in particular natural refrigerants.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Pietro Fiocchi (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Mar 2025 · tematiche ambiente

Meeting with Bas Eickhout (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2025 · Mobile Air-conditioning and PFAS

Response to Action plan on accelerating Heat Pump market and deployment

22 May 2023

Dear European Commission Policy Officer(s), It is ATMOspheres pleasure to contribute to this public consultation on the Heat Pump Acceleration Plan, to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used and contribute to reach the Unions climate goals. As known, by using electricity as an energy carrier, heat pumps displace the need to rely on fossil fuels energy carriers to heat European homes. Heat pumps, however, are currently deployed charged with highly polluting and climate altering heat carriers, i.e., refrigerants, that undermine the climate friendliness of this technology. Currently, heat pumps are majorly marketed with highly global warming refrigerants in it: for instance, the most common refrigerant used in air-to-water domestic systems is R410a, with a global warming potential 2000 times more than carbon dioxide. Needless to say that even small leaks from these systems containing this powerful climate altering substance can be overly detrimental to other policies efforts aimed at mitigating climate change, especially considering the deployment in the millions of these systems and the average leakage rate (yearly 3.5% per DG CLIMA estimates). Nevertheless, it is worth noting that industry is moving towards mass adoption of refrigerants alternative to fluorinated ones, where market ready systems are available. In addition, it is also investing massively to bridge the technology gaps that today hinder the uptake of natural refrigerants, i.e., carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrocarbons, air and water, in specific heat pumps technology that currently might be more challenging to serve without fluorinated refrigerants (for example, multi split air-to-air). As a first contribution to this Commission communication, ATMOsphere is glad to share with you insights from our report recently published on the state of the European heat pump industry. This report finds that policy efforts under the EU F-gas Regulation, the PFAS Restriction Intention and REPowerEU can be synergistically met by deploying heat pumps with natural refrigerants, which are heat carriers that do not deplete the ozone layer, do not contribute substantially to global warming, and are not persistent molecules staying in the environment for the years to come. Natural refrigerants, in fact, can be used in vapour compression cycle systems such as heat pumps, and do not need major technological changes from heat pumps using fluorinated refrigerants. In this report, ATMOsphere has found around 40 different manufacturers showcasing heat pumps based on natural refrigerants at a recent trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany (please see Annex I of the report). The reports is available for free at the link: https://atmosphere.cool/heat-pumps-report-2023/ In addition, we would like to share with you the position paper published by around twenty European universities, research and technical institutes that support the uptake of hydrocarbons in heat pumps of all capacities, labelling these systems not only environmentally superior, but also a securer financial investment: in fact, reliance on fluorinated refrigerants that are forced to ever-decreasing their global warming potentials requires constant changes in the heat pumping systems. This chemical treadmill, in turn, consume companies resources and result in stranded assets. As supported by the scientific community, we hope this Communication will be a strong and clear signal to all interested players that the acceleration of heat pumps will unfold with the least climate and environment altering refrigerants, i.e., natural refrigerants. Finally, with regard to high temperature heat pumps, multiple market players are already today implementing solutions to decarbonise industry and district heating and cooling networks with natural refrigerants, most notably GEA, Mayekawa, JCI, Fenagy and MAN among others.
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Response to Fitness check of how the Polluter Pays Principle is applied to the environment

9 Dec 2022

Dear Policy Officers at DG ENVI, Shecco/ATMOsphere welcomes the possibility to comment on launched revision of the polluter pays principle. Shecco/ATMOsphere is a market accelerator of energy-efficient refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pumps (RACHP) technologies not-relaying on halogenated refrigerants, whether chlorofluorocarbons CFCs, hydrochlorofluorocarbons HCFCs, hydrofluorocarbons HFCs or hydrofluoroolefins HFOs. Natural refrigerants, i.e., naturally occurring chemicals used as heat transfers in RACHP equipment around the world, are a future-proof alternative to halogenated substances that are steadily being adopted by market players. Their physical characteristics are well known, and operators have since long understood how to properly treat them. They are safe by design, and are chemical elements known to nature. With a more complete definition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), following developments in the study of fluorinated substances, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Developments (OECD) has classified multiple fluorine-based refrigerants currently in widespread use worldwide as PFAS see fact cards of major groups of PFAS in the OECD/PFAS website. These refrigerants leak out of production facilities, during operations in the systems where they are used, and at end of life. Five European chemical agencies are also taking action on PFAS, and will present a first PFAS Universal Restriction Intention proposal in January 2023 under REACH. PFAS are a family of many different chemical compounds that share similar properties, most commonly persistence. We welcomed the possibility to extend the provisions related to the polluters pay principle to these novel set of substances, whose effects are starting to be understood and are severely related to hazards for human health, the environment and climate. To this extent, we attach the report: The Rising Threat of HFOs and TFA to Health and the Environment, to raise awareness of the risk created by the use of fluorinated refrigerants, and their atmospheric decomposition products. From the report, based on scientific, peer-reviewed studies conducted around the world, it is apparent that there has been a steady increase of these substances in the environment with likely consequences in the near term. Some of the low-GWP refrigerants promoted by chemical companies as substitutes to high GWP refrigerants, such as HFO1234yf, besides being considered PFAS by the OECD, degrade completely in the atmosphere into trifluoracetic acid, TFA. The level of TFA in German waters has been found to exceed precautionary values, as the study cited in the report shows. TFA is a very persistent, very mobile substance (vPvM) with potential toxicity, and causes increasing environmental concerns worldwide. Conventional wastewater treatment strategies are inefficient for selective TFA removal. The updated OECD definition is also labelling as PFAS some of the most commonly used HFCs, questioning their use not only from a climate perspective, but also from a chemical and human health-related one. We remain available for further exchanges in case of need, many thanks for your time and consideration of our comment.
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Response to Introducing new hazard classes–CLP revision

18 Oct 2022

Dear Policy Officers at DG ENVI, Shecco/ATMOsphere welcomes the possibility to comment on the updates of rules on classification, labelling and packaging for hazardous chemicals. Shecco/ATMOsphere is a market accelerator of energy-efficient refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pumps (RACHP) technologies not-relaying on halogenated refrigerants, e.g., chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) or hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs). Natural refrigerants, i.e., naturally occurring chemicals used as heat transfers in RACHP equipment around the world, are a future-proof alternative to halogenated substances that are steadily being adopted by market players. Their physical characteristics are well known, and operators have since long understood how to properly treat them. With a more complete definition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), following developments in the study of fluorinated substances, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Developments (OECD) has classified multiple refrigerants currently in widespread use worldwide as PFAS – see fact cards of major groups of PFAS in the OECD/PFAS website. These refrigerants leak out of production facilities, during operations in the systems where they are used, and at end of life. Five European chemical agencies are also taking action on PFAS, and will present a first PFAS Universal Restriction Intention proposal in January 2023. PFAS are a family of many different chemical compounds that share similar properties, most commonly persistence. We welcomed the possibility to include in the CLP-regulation endocrine disrupting properties for human health/ environment, PBT, vPvB, PMT, vPvM classifications, to better monitor these chemicals at all stages of their existence. More specifically, we warmly welcome the inclusion of the PMT and vPvM hazard classes within the delegated amendment to the CLP regulation. Introducing these new hazard categories will assist early warning, prevention and an integrated management strategy for persistent and mobile substances, which are a potential threat to water quality and drinking water quality, and are associated with high cost to the water services and health sector, when emitted excessively. To this extent, we attach the report: The Rising Threat of HFOs and TFA to Health and the Environment, to raise awareness of the risk created by the use of fluorinated refrigerants, and their atmospheric decomposition products. From the report, based on scientific, peer-reviewed studies conducted around the world, it is apparent that there has been a steady increase of these substances in the environment. Some of these low-GWP refrigerants promoted by chemical companies, such as HFO1234yf, besides being considered PFAS by the OECD, degrade completely in the atmosphere into trifluoracetic acid, TFA. The level of TFA in German waters has been found to exceed precautionary values, as the study cited in the report shows. TFA is a very persistent, very mobile substance (vPvM) with potential toxicity, and causes increasing environmental concerns worldwide. Conventional wastewater treatment strategies are to date inefficient for selective TFA removal. We remain available for further exchanges in case of need, many thanks for your time and consideration of our comment.
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Response to Review of EU rules on fluorinated greenhouse gases

29 Jun 2022

Dear Policy Officer at the European Commission, dear stakeholders, Please find herewith attached the feedback from the Clean Cooling Coalition on the proposed amendments to the EU F-Gas Regulation. The Clean Cooling Coalition (CCC) is coalition of progressive European companies from the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry. The CCC believes that the most effective way to achieve the EU's carbon neutrality goals by 2050, and secure high level of environmental protection, lies in the quick reduction of the use of fluorinated substances.Therefore, the Coalition advocates for ambitious measures across the EU legislative acquis bound to restrict their use. We thank you for your time and for your efforts to steer the EU market away from highly potent greenhouse gases and persistent chemicals. Kind regards,
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Response to Review of EU rules on fluorinated greenhouse gases

4 Sept 2020

shecco, together with the Clean Cooling Coalition, welcomes the opportunity to present feedback on the "Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases - review of EU Rules (2015-20)" roadmap. Please refer to the attachment for our detailed submission.
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