Proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of fluorinated gases

Closed 18 Dec 2022

Opened 8 Nov 2022

Results updated 25 Mar 2025

From 8 November to 18 December 2022, the Ministry for the Environment consulted on proposed regulations for a priority product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants and prohibiting the import and sale of certain pre-charged equipment containing hydrofluorocarbons.

Thank you to all who made a submission. 

Read the summary of submissions (PDF 999KB)

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) contribute significantly to global warming. This is because they are potent greenhouse gases, with global warming potential hundreds or thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.  

F-gas refrigerants are found in a range of products such as heat pumps, dehumidifiers, vehicles, fridges and freezers.

We sought feedback on proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of fluorinated gases (F-gases). This included:

  • a regulated product stewardship scheme for refrigerants 
  • prohibiting the import and sale of pre-charged equipment when alternatives are available, which is expected to happen over the next 10 years.  

Read a short summary of the consultation document (PDF 1.6MB)

Read the consultation document (PDF 1.2MB)