EPEE Report: Extending F-gas Life Cycles Cuts PFAS Emissions 39% at a Fraction of the Cost

EPEE's new Executive Report, published in Brussels on 11 June 2026, concludes that the most cost-effective route to cutting PFAS emissions from F-gas refrigerants is to strengthen leak management and extend refrigerant service life through recovery, recycling, and reclamation within the existing EU F-gas Regulation framework.

The report is based on an independent socio-economic assessment conducted by Environmental Resources Management (ERM). It compares three pathways for reducing PFAS emissions, evaluating each on environmental benefit, economic cost, and technical feasibility.

The recommended pathway would reduce PFAS emissions by 39% while limiting the economic impact to €4.6 billion over the 2030–2050 period. More restrictive options, by contrast, would cost over €35 billion while delivering lower or comparable environmental benefits.

Russell Patten, Director General of EPEE, stated that Europe does not have to choose between reducing emissions and protecting its economy, and that the study shows the industry can manage and reduce refrigerant emissions while safeguarding jobs, competitiveness, and essential heating and cooling technologies.

The report also notes that no single alternative refrigerant is currently suitable for all refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump applications. In many cases, alternatives are constrained by safety, flammability, toxicity, pressure, and performance requirements.

EPEE emphasises that heating, cooling, and refrigeration technologies are essential for heat pump deployment, cold chains, industrial processes, district heating and cooling, and data centre cooling. The organisation argues that the final regulatory framework should reduce emissions while remaining technically feasible, proportionate, and coherent with the EU F-gas Regulation.

For more information, contact Agnese Longo, Communication Advisor, a.longo@epeeglobal.org.

Source: EPEE.