100

Million Tons of CO2

Hudson has avoided the equivalent of 100+ million tons of CO2 in reclaimed CFC since its inception

7000

Customers

throughout the United States

40

Facilities and Stocking Points

owned by Hudson

View Our Analysis

The Path to Drawdown: Refrigerant Management

Refrigerators and air conditioners contain chemical refrigerants that absorb and release heat to enable chilling. These refrigerants, particularly chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), have between 1,000 and 9,000 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide.

Because scientists in the 1980s found that these refrigerants were responsible for depleting the ozone layer, governments adopted international treaties to phase them out. High-income countries have already started phasing out HFCs in 2019. Some low-income countries will follow suit in 2024, and others in 2028. Thanks to the availability of substitutes with much lower greenhouse gas potential like propane and ammonium, this phasing out is expected to be smooth.

Still, the stock of HFCs will keep growing until all countries stop their use. This is where refrigerant management comes into play. Refrigerant management is the recovery, recycling, and destruction of refrigerants at the end of life. Refrigerants can be purified for reuse or transformed into other chemicals that don’t exacerbate global warming. And since 90% of refrigerant emissions happen at the end of their life, those currently in circulation need to be properly disposed of.

What We Want to See Improve

Track Sustainability Metrics

We commend Hudson Technologies for doing the valuable work of reclaiming refrigerants. But we would like them to go further in the direction of sustainability by tracking and reporting their GHG emissions from their operations, distribution and transportation, as well as the sources of the energy they use.

Set Emissions Reduction Targets

Once emissions metrics are tracked and reported, we want to see Hudson take the next step of setting targets to reduce their direct and indirect emissions. These targets should be quantitative and designed to be achieved in a specific timeframe.

Fully Electrify Their Fleet

By the end of 2020, Hudson Technologies owned over $1.5 million worth of vehicles (p. 46) for their refrigerant reclamation and other transportation needs. One way to reduce the company’s emissions would be to fully electrify their fleet.

Related Refrigerant Management Stocks in the Climate Index

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Allocated Company Description

0.14%

CSW Industrials, Inc. (CSWI)

CSW, a diversified industrial company, offers refrigerant leak prevention products for HVAC systems. Refrigerant management is a key Drawdown solution

0.02%

Hudson Technologies (HDSN)

Hudson Technologies reclaims, recycles, reuses and manages refrigerants, which are some of the most potent greenhouse gases

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