Obama administration recognises Daikin’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Company makes three environment-related commitments at White House event Daikin Industries has announced that the Obama Administration has recognised it and other private sector businesses for their continuing commitment to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and other powerful greenhouse gases that can contribute to climate change. This, said Daikin, transpired at the White House event hosted on October 15 by Dr Ernest Moniz, US Secretary of Energy, and Gina McCarthy, the Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Daikin revealed that it made the following three specific announcements at the White House event: Goodman will begin production and sale of the first-ever high-efficiency Package Terminal Air Conditioning (PTAC) systems using the next-generation refrigerant, HFC-32, which it claimed were self-contained heating and air conditioning systems. It would continue efforts to strictly control and eliminate by-product emissions of HFC-23, a high global warming potential (GWP) material created during production of HCFC-22 – the commitment extending to both Daikin’s US and worldwide facilities. Destroying the HFC-23 by-product, said Daikin, would reduce GWP emission releases by an amount equivalent to 6.7 million metric tonnes of C02 per year. The company also reiterated an earlier announcement that it was offering manufacturing companies worldwide free access to 93 patents to encourage others to develop and commercialise air conditioning and heat pump equipment that use HFC-32 as a single component refrigerant. It is a non-ozone depleting substance, is energy efficient, affordable, is easier to recycle and has a GWP that is one-third of today’s most commonly used refrigerant, informed Daikin. Shinya Okada, Senior Executive Officer of Daikin Industries, said, “We are grateful that our efforts have been recognised by President Obama’s Administration, and we feel Daikin can contribute to the private sector leadership that is needed for global climate protection.”