Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gases)

China MEE Convenes 2026 National Ozone Layer Protection Leadership Group Meeting

China’s National Ozone Layer Protection Leadership Group met in Beijing on 8 May 2026 to review 2025 Montreal Protocol compliance and set priorities for ozone‑depleting substance governance in 2026. This signals sustained high‑level political backing for strict management of ODS and related substances, but no new legal instruments, quotas, or specific compliance deadlines are evident yet, so companies should watch for follow‑up implementing notices.

11 May 2026, 18:56mee.gov.cnChina

California Senate Sets 14 May 2026 Hearing On SB 1010 Refrigerant Stewardship And Recovery Act

California’s SB 1010 Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act has advanced to a 14 May 2026 Senate Appropriations hearing, keeping a comprehensive producer-responsibility scheme for household refrigerant appliances moving through the legislature. If enacted, appliance manufacturers and importers will face mandatory participation in a CalRecycle-approved producer responsibility organisation, new eco-modulated fees, and stringent refrigerant recovery and PFAS-informed end-of-life requirements that demand multi-year planning.

11 May 2026, 11:38leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Spain Publishes 2026 Annual Regulatory Plan

Spain’s 2026 Annual Regulatory Plan (Plan Anual Normativo 2026) sets out 179 planned initiatives (10 organic laws, 38 laws and 131 royal decrees) that ministries aim to bring to the Council of Ministers during 2026, including 61 measures that would incorporate EU law. For chemicals, environment, product stewardship and HSE, the plan foreshadows upcoming Spanish measures on EUDR implementation, textiles and used‑oil waste and EPR regimes, fluorinated greenhouse gases and refrigerants, biocides, medicines and medical devices, general product safety, sustainable consumption and multiple occupational‑safety reforms, giving companies early visibility of dossiers likely to affect operations and supply chains.

10 May 2026, 18:59transparencia.gob.esSpain

Germany – Greens Propose Measures to Prevent PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

In May 2026 the Green Party in the German Bundestag tabled motion 21/5761 calling for aggressive measures to prevent PFAS “forever chemicals”, especially TFA, from contaminating drinking water and groundwater via pesticides, PFAS‑treated paper, fluorinated gases and industrial discharges. If taken up by the government this would tighten national PFAS controls, strengthen market surveillance and polluter‑pays liability, and reinforce German pressure for an EU‑wide PFAS group restriction and additional fluorinated gas limits under REACH.

9 May 2026, 13:27dserver.bundestag.deGermanyEuropean Union

Ukraine Ministry of Economy Updates Register of Operators of Controlled Substances (Annex as of 06 May 2026)

In May 2026, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine updated its Unified State Register of Operators of Controlled Substances, publishing a new annex that reflects registered operators as of 06 May 2026. Companies handling ozone-depleting substances or fluorinated greenhouse gases in Ukraine should confirm their inclusion and data accuracy in the latest register to maintain regulatory compliance.

9 May 2026, 07:17me.gov.uaUkraine

Netherlands Customs Adds Introduction to VGEM Handbook on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gases)

Netherlands Customs has added an introductory chapter to its VGEM handbook explaining how it will enforce EU Regulation 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, including permit and quota controls on imports, exports and movements of F-gases and related equipment. This clarifies enforcement expectations for businesses trading in F-gases, signalling tighter customs scrutiny and alignment with the EU’s 2030 climate targets when planning supply chains and compliance systems.

9 May 2026, 07:14kennisbank.douane.nlNetherlandsEuropean Union

Netherlands ILT Sets Up To €19.7 Million Penalty If Chemours Again Exceeds HFC-23 Quota

In March 2026 the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate imposed a new, higher penalty order on Chemours Netherlands for again exceeding its EU quota for the fluorinated greenhouse gas HFC-23 in 2024, setting a potential liability of up to €19.7 million. This significantly escalates financial pressure on Chemours to stay within fluorinated greenhouse gas quotas and signals increasingly strict enforcement of climate-related chemicals controls in Europe, ahead of an EU-imposed quota cut expected to bite from 2027.

8 May 2026, 11:01ilent.nlNetherlands

Netherlands Customs Clarifies F-Gases Task Division and Overlap in VGEM Handbook

Netherlands Customs has expanded its VGEM handbook for fluorinated greenhouse gases with detailed guidance on how Customs and the ILT share responsibilities and handle overlaps with waste, dangerous goods, military and intellectual property rules. These clarifications operationalise the EU F-gas and waste-shipment regimes at the border, giving importers and intermediaries clearer visibility into who checks permits, manages quotas and decides on complex enforcement cases.

7 May 2026, 19:59kennisbank.douane.nlNetherlands

North America: ATMOsphere Report Links 28% Growth in Transcritical CO₂ Adoption to Changing HFC and PFAS Policies

ATMOsphere’s 2025 market report, as covered by NaturalRefrigerants.com, shows a 28% year-on-year increase in North American supermarkets and industrial sites using transcritical CO2 and low-charge ammonia systems amid emerging federal and state climate and PFAS policies. This combination of a more flexible US AIM Act Technology Transitions proposal, tighter state GWP limits, and Canada/Maine/Minnesota PFAS-by-class measures strengthens the strategic case for natural refrigerants while raising long-term regulatory and stranded-asset risk for new HFC/HFO-based refrigeration.

7 May 2026, 07:51naturalrefrigerants.comUnited StatesCanada

German States Joint Statement on Climate Adaptation, Water Resilience and Illegal F-Gas Trade

Environment ministers from Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse and Saxony have issued a joint statement ahead of the Spring Environment Ministers’ Conference calling for locally driven climate adaptation, a national drought-risk and water-resilience framework, and tougher enforcement against environmental crime including illegal trade in fluorinated greenhouse gases. This signals likely future German and EU debates on financing climate adaptation, prioritising long-term drinking-water security, and strengthening legal and enforcement tools around F-gases and other environmental offences.

7 May 2026, 07:38stmuv.bayern.deGermanyEuropean Union

Japan Ministry of the Environment Announces 3rd Joint Meeting on Fluorocarbon Measures and Chemical Policy Working Groups

Japan’s environment and industry authorities will hold a third joint working-group meeting on 12 May 2026 to review implementation of Japan’s amended Fluorocarbons Act and discuss future fluorocarbon emission-reduction measures. This signals ongoing scrutiny of fluorocarbon use and could lead to tighter management or reporting requirements for relevant equipment and supply-chain operators, although no specific policy changes have been proposed yet.

6 May 2026, 19:54env.go.jpJapan

Netherlands Customs Updates F-Gas Import And Export Rules Under EU Regulation 2024/573

In October 2025 Netherlands Customs updated its VGEM handbook to spell out how EU Regulation 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases will be enforced at the border, including F-gas portal registration as an import/export licence, quota checks, labelling obligations and detailed Y- and C-code requirements in customs declarations. Companies importing, exporting or manufacturing F-gas bulk and equipment via the Netherlands now face tighter document and physical controls, and must align their registrations, ERP customs data and labelling practices to avoid blocked shipments, forfeited non-refillable cylinders and breaches of the 12 March 2025 high-GWP export ban.

6 May 2026, 19:54eur-lex.europa.euNetherlandsEuropean Union

Netherlands Customs Adds F-gases Handbook Guidance on Definitions, Law and Enforcement Powers

Netherlands Customs has published new handbook sections that consolidate definitions, applicable EU and Dutch law, and customs powers for fluorinated greenhouse gases under Regulation (EU) 2024/573. This guidance clarifies how F-gas obligations will be checked at the border, signalling sustained enforcement attention as the new EU F-gas regime and Dutch implementing decree apply to importers, exporters and intermediaries.

4 May 2026, 20:03kennisbank.douane.nlNetherlandsEuropean Union

Germany Cabinet Approves Draft Law Implementing EU Environmental Crime Directive 2024/1203

In April 2026 the German federal cabinet approved a draft law implementing the EU Environmental Crime Directive, significantly strengthening environmental criminal law, investigative powers and corporate sanctions. If adopted, companies across high‑impact sectors will face markedly higher fines and greater exposure to criminal investigations for illegal waste, hazardous chemicals and F‑gas activities, signalling a tougher enforcement climate and the need to tighten compliance controls.

4 May 2026, 09:18bmjv.deGermany

US House Introduces Energy Bills Relief Act on Clean Energy, Grid and Consumer Protections

In March 2026 the US House introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act (H.R. 7977), a wide-ranging proposal to cut household energy costs while driving major grid, natural gas export, offshore renewable, and low-income assistance reforms tied to climate and public health goals. If enacted, it would hardwire climate and environmental justice tests into LNG export approvals, expand and decarbonise LIHEAP and weatherization programmes using toxics-free materials, and push FERC toward long-term, GHG-conscious transmission planning and data transparency that could reshape US energy infrastructure investment decisions over the next decade.

3 May 2026, 14:47govinfo.govUnited States

California SB 1010 – Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act

California lawmakers are considering SB 1010, the Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act, which would create an extended producer responsibility programme for household appliances containing refrigerants, with regulations due by 1 January 2029 and a key Senate Appropriations hearing on 4 May 2026. If adopted, manufacturers, importers, and retailers of covered appliances would need to join a producer responsibility organisation, fund statewide collection and compliant refrigerant recovery aligned with Clean Air Act standards, and explicitly address PFAS and other California‑regulated chemicals in end‑of‑life management and reporting.

29 Apr 2026, 18:03leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

California SB 1010: Committee Do-Pass Vote on Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act

California’s SB 1010, the Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act, is advancing after an 11–2 committee “do pass” vote and would establish a producer-funded statewide stewardship scheme for household appliances containing refrigerants. If enacted, it will create new take-back, refrigerant recovery, and reporting obligations for appliance producers and retailers from 2028 onwards, requiring early planning by businesses selling refrigerant-containing consumer products into California.

27 Apr 2026, 18:31leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Ukraine Ministry of Economy Updates Register of Operators of Controlled Substances

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy has issued an updated Unified State Register of Operators of Controlled Substances (ozone‑depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases) as of mid‑April 2026. Operators dealing with these substances in Ukraine should confirm their registration status against the new list and treat the register as a key reference for ongoing compliance and market access decisions.

24 Apr 2026, 12:28me.gov.uaUkraine

California Senate Sets Hearing On SB-1010 Refrigerant Stewardship And Recovery Act

California’s SB-1010 Refrigerant Stewardship and Recovery Act has moved forward procedurally, with a Senate committee hearing scheduled for 22 April 2026 and a comprehensive EPR framework proposed for refrigerant-containing household appliances. If enacted, the bill would impose new producer-responsibility, refrigerant recovery, reporting, and fee obligations on appliance manufacturers and retailers, so affected companies should track its progress and prepare for programme design and compliance planning ahead of a potential 2029 regulatory start.

24 Apr 2026, 09:48leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

New Zealand EPA Clarifies HFC Import Permit and ETS Exemptions for Refrigerated Shipping Containers

In April 2026, New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority reminded importers of hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons that they must hold import permits, participate in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and may only claim an ETS exemption for HFCs used to service refrigerated shipping containers that are destined for export. This clarification tightens compliance expectations and record‑keeping for chemical importers and logistics operators, reinforcing New Zealand’s Kigali-aligned HFC phase-down and increasing pressure to shift towards lower-impact refrigerants such as HFOs.

23 Apr 2026, 14:34epa.govt.nzNew Zealand