Ten years after its adoption, the influence of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is evident in the global transition towards lower-emission cooling.
World Ozone Day 2026 recognises this progress through the theme “Global action for a cooler planet”.
Alongside the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), life-cycle refrigerant management (LRM) offers a significant opportunity to extend the climate benefits of the Kigali Amendment by reducing emissions from refrigerants already in use.
As electrification and demand for cooling drive the deployment of refrigeration, air-conditioning, heat-pump and other refrigerant-containing technologies, Australia’s installed refrigerant bank will continue to expand.
Integrating refrigerant stewardship into electrification and decarbonisation policy could reduce emissions from this growing stock of equipment and refrigerants while strengthening Australia’s contribution to global climate action.
In principle, LRM considers refrigerant management across the full equipment lifecycle, including areas not currently subject to mandatory requirements in Australia, from leak prevention, servicing and maintenance through to replacement, refurbishment, decommissioning, demolition and end-of-life management.
In Australia, a broader approach could help address gaps in current practices, particularly where refrigerant-containing equipment falls outside established recovery pathways, reducing the risk of avoidable emissions.
Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) contributes Australia’s practical experience in refrigerant stewardship to international discussions on LRM through its engagement with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
This has included contributing to the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel’s Decision XXXV/11 Task Force Report on Life-cycle Refrigerant Management, which examined the technologies, costs, barriers and policy options associated with LRM.
In 2026, RRA continued this engagement through participation in the Network Meeting of Pacific Island Countries’ National Ozone Officers and the Thematic Workshop on Strategy, Policy Recommendations and Action Plans for the Life-cycle Management of Controlled Substances.
RRA also participated in UNEP OzonAction’s Inter-regional Meeting of National Ozone Officers of Caribbean and Pacific Island Countries.
These forums supported national LRM planning and regional knowledge exchange, while enabling Australian experience to inform technical and policy discussions.
They illustrate how the collective objectives of the Montreal Protocol are advanced: through the exchange of evidence and experience between national programmes, regional networks and international institutions.
RRA’s international engagement and domestic policy work reflect the central message of World Ozone Day 2026: global progress depends on coordinated national action. For LRM, this means translating growing international attention into effective Australian policy and practice.
Australia’s existing product stewardship framework provides a substantial foundation for strengthening LRM, demonstrated by the collection of more than 11 million kilograms of refrigerant through the national recovery network.
The next challenge is to strengthen recognition and management of refrigerants in equipment that is not consistently captured by existing recovery practices, while continuing to build awareness among industry, stakeholders, and consumers of the importance of refrigerant recovery across the equipment lifecycle.
RRA’s recent submissions to the Climate Change Authority’s Annual Progress Advice 2026 consultation and the NSW Net Zero Commission’s Public Call for Evidence on Decarbonisation Pathways identify opportunities to address this challenge across the equipment lifecycle.
Progress will require sustained collaboration among government, industry, and the waste and resource-recovery sectors, supported by policy settings that recognise refrigerant management as part of Australia’s decarbonisation agenda.
As the Kigali Amendment marks its tenth anniversary, strengthening LRM would be a practical Australian contribution to the collective action required for a cooler planet.
- Supplied by Refrigerant Reclaim Australia