Global refrigeration market to exceed $67 billion in 2030
February 18, 2026
Fluorinated gases should not be included in the broad PFAS restrictions currently under consideration in Brussels. This is the conclusion of a report by the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), published in December 2025, which calls for F-gases to remain outside the proposed universal PFAS restriction (UPFAS).
The study, titled “PFAS and their role as enablers in the competitiveness of European industry”, highlights the strategic role of fluorinated gases—primarily used as refrigerants—for key sectors of the European economy: from the food industry to medical applications, from electronics to technologies supporting the energy transition.
According to the analysis, the current F-gas Regulation represents the most appropriate tool for managing these substances. Extending a regulatory framework designed for the entire PFAS group to F-gases, the report warns, could create regulatory overlaps, reduce industrial competitiveness, and slow the gradual introduction of more sustainable alternatives.
The report also addresses heat pumps, identified as a central green technology to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package. While solutions based on non-fluorinated refrigerants exist, the study clarifies that these alternatives are not yet ready for large-scale deployment and cannot currently replace F-gases in all applications. Key limitations include technical constraints, safety considerations, and potential impacts on costs and efficiency.
For these reasons, the ITRE report concludes that a complete phase-out of fluorinated gases is not currently feasible. It therefore recommends excluding them from a universal PFAS restriction and maintaining regulatory oversight within the existing specific F-gas Regulation.
The proposal is based on a technical and socio-economic assessment, which estimates significant impacts in the event of a total PFAS ban, including F-gases. Economic losses could reach up to €562.8 billion in the first year, affecting over 39,000 companies and approximately 2.9 million workers, mostly employed in small and medium-sized enterprises.
The industrial, commercial, logistics, freezing, and cryogenic refrigeration sectors will gather at Refrigera Show, the international trade event for the industry, to be held at BolognaFiere from 10 to 12 November 2027.
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