Refrigerators, air conditioners, heat pumps and other equipment necessary for the manufacture and storage of medicines run on fluorinated gases. These substances have a strong impact on global warming and are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects living beings from carcinogenic ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Steps are underway, at national, regional and international levels, to reduce the use of fluorinated gases and replace them with more climate-friendly solutions. However, this change requires support from the refrigeration industry through training and awareness campaigns.
According to the Coordinator of the national ozone unit at the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPE), Youssef Hammami, Tunisia has succeeded in completely eliminating the following substances harmful to the ozone layer. : chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), methyl bromide used in the date fumigation sector and Halons (fire fighting sector).
Implemented by UNIDO and UNEP, in close collaboration with the ANPE National Ozone Unit in Tunisia, the Montreal Protocol, a crucial international framework for the protection of the ozone layer, has enabled a significant reduction of 55% in the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (Hcfc) in Tunisia, with emissions falling from 723 t in 2022 to 325 t, currently. The country’s ambition is to reduce Hcfc by 80% on January 1, 2045.
Zouhaier Landoulsi, engineer and expert in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment (RACHP), stressed the urgency of training technicians on good practices for the safe handling of natural and flammable refrigerants. He recommended the establishment of an adequate regulatory framework to properly prepare for the implementation of European regulations concerning gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning and the application of the carbon tax at borders.
The EU, the largest import and export market for Tunisia, has improved the control and implementation of the regulation on fluorinated gases, and in particular the HFC quota system. The new system adopted allocates to companies operating on the European market a specific quantity of HFCs that can be placed on the market each year and calculated in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This approach, which is part of the Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism known as “MACF”, should be effectively applied from 2026.
Already, the cost of recharging fluids has been increased, in 2025, based on the taxes on these fluids (increased, progressively, each year), calculated on the basis of their CO2 equivalents. The carbon tax at the border, set at €15/teq CO2 in 2025, should reach €30/teq CO2 in 2045.
Tunisia, like all countries importing refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump and other gas-powered devices, should take into consideration the reduction of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) quotas. The HFC quota system applies to both HFCs preloaded in this equipment and in bulk, having a significant climate impact.
Madi Sakandé, president of the Union of African Associations of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Stakeholders (U-3ARC) underlined, in a recent meeting with Tunisian media, that “Tunisia, which has reduced by 55% the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbon substances harmful to the ozone layer and used in several sectors, such as refrigeration and air conditioning, is an exception in Africa”.
“In a hot continent, we must invest in cold and take it into consideration in all sectors. It is necessary to create autonomous refrigeration agencies at the national level, to help players in the sector (refrigeration engineers, air conditioning players, etc.) to organize themselves and secure the use of domestic, commercial, industrial and other refrigeration equipment. transport and also to secure and develop the use of stationary air conditioning and heat pumps and mobile air conditioning,” he recommended.
In the Near East/North Africa region, the lack of cold chain infrastructure contributes to considerable food losses, estimated at 55% for fruits and vegetables, 22% for meats, 30% for fish. and seafood, and 20% for dairy products, according to the FAO. “This equates to 215 kg of food wasted per capita, every year,” worsening food insecurity and leading to significant economic and environmental losses.
A developed and organized refrigeration industry could help fight against food waste, contribute to efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, give added value to production and create jobs, believes the manager.
