As a regular part of the World Ozone Day celebrations in the Philippines, the Technical Forum on the Promotion of Alternative Substances and Natural Refrigerants for Ozone Layer and Climate Protection was held virtually on 13 September 2021, organised by the Philippine Ozone Desk (NOU).
The day-long celebration provided updates on the status of the Philippine’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and presentations on current policies supporting its implementation and enforcement. The truly first F-gas policy for the Philippines is supported by energy labelling and building safety measures.
The Energy Efficiency and Utilization Bureau of the Department of Energy presented the final form of the official energy label for refrigerating appliances which specifies the refrigerant type and its Global Warming Potential (GWP). In considering the wider use of natural refrigerants such as ammonia and hydrocarbons, safety considerations in buildings were presented by the Bureau of Fire Protection, including the use and greater understanding of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for chemical risk labelling.
As part of the forum conclusion, the second phase of the GIZ project “Cool Contributions fighting Climate Change” was presented. It will include activities related to the Minimum Energy Performance of appliances and the capacity development on the safe use of natural refrigerants.