GovWire

HFCs are the most common type of fluorinated gas (F gas).

Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is phasing down HFCs, including mixtures, by 79% by 2030. This is compared to the average use of HFCs between 2009 and 2012.

Some HFCs are exempt from the phase down and do not count towards your quota.

Exempt uses of F gas

HFCs are exempt if you import or produce them directly for use:

• as feedstocks (bulk HFCs that are chemically transformed into substances)
• in military equipment
• in metered dose inhalers for medicines (for example, asthma inhalers)
• to etch semiconductor material (for example, plasma etching)
• to clean chemicals vapour deposition chambers in semiconductor manufacturing

HFCs are also exempt from the phase down if you:

• import them for destruction
• export them and they were never intended to be placed on the market in Great Britain

Labelling exempt F gas

You must label the container of your exempt HFCs. The label must:

• say which exemption the gas will be used for
• meet all other requirements for labelling F gas

Selling exempt F gas to other businesses or organisations

Your HFCs will remain exempt if you sell them directly to the business or organisation carrying out an exempt activity.

They will not be exempt if you sell them to an organisation that is not carrying out exempt activities, even if the HFCs are later used for an exempt activity.

Reporting exempt uses of HFCs

You must report all exempt uses of HFCs you import or produce.