The European market is reportedly being flooded by illegal refrigerant imports, Hydro Fluro Carbons from China which are a major contributor to global warming. Alessandro Borri, sales director at Italian refrigerant supplier General Gas said to the media that that illegal importers in the European Union are raking in the money from selling these refrigerants. These gases are used in almost every car air conditioner, heat pump, and refrigerator. The factor working behind rampant sales is that the gases sold in cylinders from China are quite cost-effective.

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Chinese illegal cylinders cheaper

Borri said that the cost of a cylinder illegally imported from China, including transport, is about $70 [€63]. The same product sold on eBay or other local online retailers, an illegally imported cylinder costs between €180 and €250. 
The disparity between the prices of legal and illegal cylinder explains why Chinese cylinders are sought after. He added that the cylinders are imported in shipping containers which can hold up to 900 cylinders each, and then they are distributed via Facebook or eBay. They are also sold by local dealers who supply in vans and go from workshop to workshop and sell them one by one. HFCs are between 675 and 3,922 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide and cause global warming, according to London-based NGO Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Similarly, other fluorinated gases used as propellants in spray foam or insulating material can be up to 24,000 times more damaging than CO2. 

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EU still allowing HFC sales though it plans to ban it

The paradox lies in the fact that though European lawmakers are concerned about carbon emissions, the illegal HFC imports are still allowed under current EU regulations. Yet the union realizes the threats and has set out in 2015 to regulate fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and gradually take them off the market. It plans to reduce the use of HFCs by up to 80% by 2030. HFC gases equivalent to around 117 million tons of CO2 moved through the European market last year, quoted EIA yet EU allowed only 101 million tons of removal. After calculations, it was found that HFCs equivalent to around 16 million tons of CO2 illegally flooded the European market in 2018. 

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