ILLEGAL TRADE ROUND-UP NOVEMBER 2020
In this round-up: #SayNoToIllegalHFCs via a pledge to put a stop to the illegal trade in HFCs; Amended German Chemical Act combating illegal trade in fluorinated greenhouse gases notified to the European Commission; Seizures of illegal HFCs in The Netherlands, Italy and Australia.
The EFCTC call to industry and consumers to put a stop to the illegal trade in HFCs via a pledge to #SayNoToIllegalHFCs has already received over 210 pledges by organisations and individuals throughout the EU and the UK and been initiative has been widely reported in the trade press. Everyone from producers, importers, and distributors, to contractors and end users is called on to detect and report illegal products when they purchase, service or sell HFCs. Pledgers will receive more detailed information on what action can be taken, as well as a suite of digital assets. For more information go to https://stopillegalcooling.eu/pledge/
Amended German Chemical Act combating illegal trade in fluorinated greenhouse gases notified to the European Commission. The amended act aims to remove enforcement obstacles in combating illegal trade in fluorinated greenhouse gases by enabling enforcement through the supply chain and includes downstream traders and users. The EC notification period ends on 22/01/2021 and the next steps are the approval by the German State cabinets. The notified act is on the Commission website here.
Seizures of illegal HFCs.
THE NETHERLANDS: Over one thousand cylinders of illegal HFC-404A, more than 10 tonnes of refrigerant, carried in a lorry was intercepted by authorities in the Netherlands. The seizure resulted from cooperation between local authorities and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). See Cooling Post.
ITALY: Nearly 4 tonnes of illegal refrigerant were seized by customs officers in an operation carried out with the collaboration of the local anti-fraud department and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The illegal refrigerants were in 300 illegal non-refillable cylinders and included the HFCs R-32, R-404A, R-410A and banned HCFC-22. See Cooling Post.
GLOBAL: A co-ordinated customs operation across several countries supported by global and regional organisations including Europol and OLAF (the European Anti-Fraud Office) resulted in the seizure of 31 tonnes of HFC as well as ozone depleting substances. Read the complete report at Cooling Post.
AUSTRALIA: The largest fine ever issued (Australian $500,000, equivalent to about €300,000) under Australia’s strict ozone protection laws has been imposed on a fire protection company for the unlawful import of HFC-227ea without a controlled substances license for use as a fire extinguishing agent. importing of bulk HFC. Several one-tonne capacity cylinders were seized. See Climate Control News Australia.