Godrej Appliances Welcomes Amendment To Montreal Protocol

Mumbai (October 17, 2016): Godrej Appliances has welcomed the finalization by more than 100 countries of an amendment to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. This amendment will enable this 1987 ozone-protecting agreement to phase-out the use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of gases that are several thousand times more damaging than carbon dioxide.

In recent years, HFCs started being utilized in the coolant and refrigerant industry. Since HFCs are not ozone-depleting hence it is not covered by the Montreal Protocol. In fact, HFCs replaced Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which the Montreal Protocol phased out because they were destroying the ozone layer. But HFCs are very potent greenhouse gases (GHGs), and unlike other GHGs that are being dealt with by the Paris Agreement, HFCs are sought to be eliminated through the Montreal Protocol as well.

Commenting on the recent move of 100 countries signing the phase out of Chloro-Fluoro-Carbon based refrigerants – a positive effort which will help to control global warming, Kamal Nandi, Business Head and Executive Vice President, Godrej Appliances, said "We are happy to share that Godrej Appliances phased out Ozone depleting CFC, HFC and HCFC refrigerants as early as 2002 voluntarily, under the Montreal protocol and replaced them with natural hydrocarbon based refrigerants. ‘Environment friendliness’ for us is a value that has been ingrained in our corporate DNA since our inception. Continuous innovation on the Green Technology front therefore has been a business imperative for us. It is important to note that Godrej Appliances are not the greenest only in terms of usage of environment-friendly refrigerant, but also because of the highest levels of energy efficiency in its products, which has stemmed from the Godrej group’s deep sensitivity towards the environment."

Back in 2008, when the BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency), Government of India, first rolled out its norms for energy efficiency rating, Godrej was amongst the earliest brands to opt for voluntary energy labeling of its refrigerators.

Burzin Wadia, Executive Vice President- Technology and Engineering, Godrej Appliances, added "True to our cherished value of 'Green', Godrej is also the first brand in the world to manufacture ACs with green environment friendly refrigerants. It’s green balance ACs have zero Ozone Depletion Potential and Global Warming Potential of only 3, which is the lowest in the industry (with many players operating at a much higher range of 1700-2100 Global Warming Potential) making it a pioneer in energy efficient, environmentally safe and sustainable cooling technologies."

The green balance technology used by Godrej Appliances that makes use of R-290 refrigerant, makes the case that ACs in the Indian market can be built using climate friendly refrigerant alternatives that protect the ozone layer, and at the same time make air conditioning more energy efficient and less costly to operate.