Journal: What are the implications of Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol for India?
Rajiv Banavali: On October 15, 2016, representatives from the parties to the Montreal Protocol agreed to an amendment to the treaty to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – chemicals with high global warming potential (GWP). This historic amendment, arrived at in Kigali, would limit the global temperature increase to no more than 0.5°C by the end of the century. As one of the key signatories to the Kigali amendment, India has committed to cutting down the use of HFCs by 85 percent of their values in 2024-26, by the year 2047. By 2050, the complete phase-out of HFCs is estimated to prevent a 0.5°C rise in global temperatures by the end of this century.

J: How will it impact the Indian refrigeration industry?
RB: A clear and accelerated HFC phasedown commitment will allow the Indian refrigeration industry to transition to materials with lower climate impact, while promoting local
production and adoption. The first movers will also benefit from the development of an indigenous downstream industry based on environmentally preferable low GWP refrigerants – aligned with the Government’s vision of Make in India.

J: What are the refrigerant alternatives for a greener, cleaner future?
RB: Honeywell offers the next-generation, environmentally preferable hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) alternatives that are available today under our Solstice® product line as an option to support the Indian government on accelerating the transition from HFCs and other high-GWP materials. Solstice refrigerants have GWP of 1 or less than one. They are drop-in or near drop-in replacements for refrigerants in use today. Their performance efficiencies are equal to or higher than currently used refrigerants by 5 to 15%. And they are safe to use. Our new brand R444B is similar to R32, but with a lower GWP of about 295, and is a near drop-in replacement for R22. It performs better than R32 at the higher temperatures that are prevalent in India.

J: How will Honeywell support the Make in India drive?
RB: Honeywell has been supporting India’s industrial growth for nearly a century. We have exclusive partnerships with Indian manufacturers in HVAC, cooling solutions and
pharmaceuticals. Outside of the U.S., Honeywell’s largest technology development and incubation center – Honeywell India Technology Center (HITC) – was opened at Gurgaon in February. It has environment chambers for both positive and negative temperatures. Kirloskar Chillers has launched a model with Solstice 1234ze, a near drop-in. Our blowing agent Solstice 1233zd is a drop-in for cyclopentane. We have a manufacturing arrangement with Navin Fluorine for Solstice 1234yf for the automobile sector. We are also working with government agencies and NGOs.