Corporate investigators insist that HFC refrigerants are still entering the EU illegally, despite improvement in enforcement activities.
Kroll, a New-York-based firm of corporate investigators employed by the refrigerant manufacturers’ group EFCTC, has found evidence of large quantities of illegal imports of HFCs, equivalent to as much as 4.7MtCO2e.
Kroll’s investigations have identified various means in which the illegal gases are entering the EU, shedding light on the enormity of the problem. A total of 444 takedown requests were made to 15 market platforms, such as eBay, OLX, and MarktPlaats. Most related to refrigerant in illegal disposable cylinders.
Through an investigative study, commissioned by the EFCTC, Kroll has followed up on 228 reports of illegal activity submitted to its confidential Action Line between March and December 2019. Hundreds of shipments, many from China, were identified.
