India: the challenges of life-cycle refrigerant management

In May 2023, the CEEW published a study examining the current status of refrigerant recovery, recycling, reuse, and destruction in India.
 
In recent years, India’s refrigerant production has grown, estimated to reach about 75,000 tonnes in 2028, up from 24,300 tonnes in 2018.[1, 2] In comparison, in 2020, the production capacities of China, the world’s largest producer of HFC refrigerants, was more than 238,000 tonnes for R134a, 272,000 tonnes for R32 and 106,000 tonnes for R125.[3] In India, demand for HCFCs and high-GWP HFC refrigerants is expected to decrease by 25–30 per cent, thanks to the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) and the accelerated HCFC phase-out management plan.