Reducing emissions through refrigerant reuse

USA, Michigan

ClimatePartner ID: 1766

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Project facts

Quality criteria

Refrigerant managementGet to know the project

Refrigerants are an essential component of air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Many older and existing systems around the world operate using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). When refrigerants escape from air conditioning and refrigeration systems, for example through leaks or improper disposal, significant greenhouse gas emissions are released. Used refrigerants are removed from systems during maintenance work or when equipment is replaced. Not all of these refrigerants are subsequently reclaimed and reused.

This project in Livonia, Michigan, follows a circular economy approach. Used HFC refrigerants are recovered from air conditioning and refrigeration systems across the United States and delivered to an EPA-certified reclamation facility. There, they are collected, analysed and cleaned of contaminants such as oil, moisture and other impurities. After reclamation, the refrigerants are returned to the market and can be used again in existing air conditioning and refrigeration systems. By keeping existing refrigerants in circulation for longer, the project extends the useful life of valuable resources and reduces the demand for newly produced refrigerants. In this way, it strengthens circularity in the refrigeration and cooling sector and promotes a more responsible use of existing materials.

During the first verified monitoring period from August 2024 to July 2025, the recovery, reclamation and reuse of HFC refrigerants avoided 300,634 tonnes of CO₂e. The refrigerants processed under the project included R‑134a, R‑404A, R‑407C, R‑410A and R‑507A.

Project Standard

The project contributes to the the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

How refrigerant management contributes to climate action

Many existing systems use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have a high global warming potential. When they are released into the atmosphere through leaks, maintenance activities or at the end of a system’s life, they contribute directly to global warming. Responsible refrigerant management throughout the entire lifecycle of refrigerants helps reduce these emissions.

Refrigerant management includes a range of measures throughout the lifecycle of refrigerants. These include the early detection and repair of leaks, the transition to refrigerants with lower global warming potential, and the recovery of used refrigerants. During recovery, refrigerant is removed from a system, cleaned and either reused on-site or reclaimed at a specialised facility. During reclamation, the refrigerant is cleaned and tested to ensure quality standards are met. This allows it to be used again in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Climate projects focused on refrigerant management address different stages of this lifecycle. Real-time monitoring systems detect leaks at an early stage, enabling faster repairs and reducing emissions. Advanced refrigeration systems use refrigerants with lower global warming potential, such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons or certain hydrofluoroolefins. Recovery and reclamation projects keep existing refrigerants in circulation for longer and reduce demand for newly produced substances. Refrigerant disposal projects ensure that old or unusable refrigerants are managed appropriately and do not enter the atmosphere. Depending on the project type, emissions reductions are quantified based on avoided leaks, replaced refrigerants, reused quantities or demonstrably destroyed substances. Refrigerant management projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered under international standards.

The project aims to contribute to these United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Project facts

Climate projects generally fall into one of three groups: carbon reduction, carbon removal, or carbon avoidance. Carbon reduction projects reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by a specific activity (e.g., improved cookstoves). Carbon removal projects remove carbon from the atmosphere by sequestering it in carbon sinks (e.g., reforestation). Carbon avoidance projects avoid greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere (e.g., protecting forests from deforestation with REDD+ projects).

All climate projects are based on international standards. They set processes and requirements which carbon projects must fulfill to be recognised as a proven method of reducing carbon emissions.

Climate projects demonstrably reduce, remove, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved with various technologies, ranging from nature-based solutions to social impact projects and renewable energies.

Most standards on the voluntary carbon market list their projects in public registries. The registries are used to store project data and track issuances and retirements of verified emission reductions. The registry ID can be used to identify projects in the standard registry.

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Climate projects go through third-party validation and verification. Verification happens regularly after each monitoring period. A validation and verification body checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct and verifies them. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the process.

Climate projects go through third-party validation and verification. Validation happens early in the project life cycle and ensures that the project design is in line with current processes and requirements. This phase often also involves field visits with on-site interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved as a validation and verification body (VVB) by the standards body.

Four criteria for projects to meet quality thresholds

01. AdditionalityA project must lead to lower carbon emissions than would have occured without the project. Additionality also means that a project relies on financing from the sale of emission reductions, as the project would otherwise not be feasible and the upfront investment would be too high for project developers.

02. Exclusion of double countingThe carbon reduction may only be counted once and may not be counted again elsewhere, so a Verified Emission Reduction is retired once it has been used. This process is recorded in official registries.

03. PermanenceThe criterion of permanence ensures that carbon reductions or removals are ongoing and do not occur just once. This guarantees a long-term benefit for the climate. The minimum duration of a project depends on the underlying project technology.

04. Audit by independent third-partiesClimate projects must be audited regularly by independent auditors such as TÜV Nord. These auditors verify that the project is in compliance with the relevant standards. They also determine the volume of carbon emissions that have actually been avoided or removed.

The life cycle of a climate project

A climate project has a set life cycle consisting of various phases, from the feasibility assessment to the retirement of Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).

Project planning phase

The project developer reviews the general feasibility of the project, the project design, and the financing. Then, the Project Design Document (PDD) is prepared, which contains all the basic information about the project, such as the objective, location, timeline, and duration.

Validation

In this phase, independent auditors examine the PDD and the information it contains. This phase often also involves field visits with on-side interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved by the relevant standard as a validation and verification body (VVB). TÜV Nord/Süd, S&A Carbon LLC., and SCS Global Services are examples of VVBs."

Registration

Once validated, the project can be registered with a standard such as the Verified Carbon Standard or the Gold Standard. All high-quality climate projects are based on international standards. They provide the framework for project design, construction, carbon accounting, and monitoring. Recognised standards make the climate project system and the projects themselves resilient, traceable, and credible.

Monitoring

After the climate project has been registered, the monitoring begins. Here, the project developers monitor and document the data of the project activities and progress. The duration of the monitoring phase varies from project to project: it can cover two years, but documentation over five or seven years is also possible.

Verification

At the end of each monitoring phase, a VVB checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the verification process.

Issuance of Verified Emission Reductions

Once verified, the emission reductions that were confirmed in the verification phase can be issued as VERs. The steps of monitoring, verification, and issuance of VERs are repeated regularly and are therefore considered as a cycle.

Retirement of Verified Emission Reductions

Once a VER has been used, it must be retired. This process is also reflected in the registry. If the financing of a climate project is done through ClimatePartner, the VERs are bundled in a system certified by TÜV Austria and then retired on a regular basis. This ensures that each VER can no longer be sold and is only used once, preventing double counting.

* For certified projects only: the project-related information on this page is based on the documents in the register.

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