Brazil is turning commercial refrigeration into a strategic front for ozone protection and climate action. Through its Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP), the country is advancing sustainable initiatives across supermarkets, training centres, and refrigerant management services coordinated by Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
The goal: reduce reliance on HCFCs, cooling gases that deplete the ozone layer, and transitioning toward climate-friendly alternatives. Brazil's work also advances the Kigali Amendment, which targets the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning but carrying a high global warming potential (GWP).
In 2015, 90 per cent of the commercial refrigeration sector relied on HCFC-22, with HFCs as the dominant alternative and limited uptake of low-GWP technologies. Through targeted action, Brazil achieved a 63 per cent reduction from its baseline by 2021 and 67 per cent by 2024. Three initiatives have been key to this progress.
Greening the cold chain: Propane-powered chillers in supermarkets
To promote low-GWP alternatives in commercial refrigeration, Brazil's National Ozone Unit (NOU), with UNIDO’s support, led a project to convert HCFC-22-based chillers to propane (R-290), a climate and ozone-friendly alternative, and to demonstrate the new technology in supermarkets.
The project partnered with two Brazilian manufacturers, Eletrofrio and Plotter Racks, whose combined HCFC-22 consumption previously exceeded 150 metric tonnes. Activities included developing R-290-based modular chiller prototypes, installing them in operating supermarkets, and running workshops to promote the technology across the sector.
Eletrofrio, which installs around 600 new supermarkets per year, has progressively introduced propane across its product range, from small modular units to multi-compressor systems for larger capacities. Today, more than 60 Brazilian supermarkets operate exclusively with climate- and ozone-friendly solutions installed by the company.
Learning by doing: Brazil's first mini supermarket training labs
A parallel initiative, led by the NOU with support from the German agency for international cooperation on behalf of the Government of Germany, supported the technology transition in supermarkets by addressing a critical gap: the skills needed to install and maintain next‑generation refrigeration systems.
Two pilot training centres were established, one at the Technical School (ETP) of the FAPRO Group in Curitiba and one at SENAI Benfica School in Rio de Janeiro. Each was fitted with a mini supermarket laboratory, the first of their kind in Brazil, replicating real operating conditions, using climate- and ozone-friendly refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and R‑290 in cascade system configurations. Instructors from both schools completed specialized training in Germany ahead of the installations.
In 2025 alone, 300 professionals were trained in these mini supermarket laboratories, with 98 per cent reporting greater preparedness to work with CO₂ and R-290 systems. The results have been disseminated at national, regional, and international levels and by 2030, an additional 3,000 professionals are projected to be trained through these centres.
Closing the loop: A self-sustaining refrigerant recovery ecosystem
In a complementary effort supported by UNDP, the NOU built out a national system for recovering, recycling, and reclaiming HCFC-22, cutting demand for virgin refrigerants while extending equipment life.
Brazil now has six refrigerant reclamation centres, with four more planned by 2030. Together, these centres play a critical role in lifecycle refrigerant management in Brazil. Among them, Ecosuporte, established in 2018, operates as a financially viable business while delivering environmental benefits. Equipped with advanced technologies to recover and purify used refrigerants, Ecosuporte developed its business model based on anticipated refrigerant stocks and sector‑specific needs, while strategically identifying priority sectors, partners and stakeholders. Between 2022 and 2025, it reclaimed 21 tonnes of HCFCs and HFCs, preventing their release into the atmosphere.
Since its launch, the company has implemented a range of innovative approaches, including door-to-door collection of end-of-life equipment, refrigerant buyback mechanisms, and close engagement with servicing companies. A partnership with RD Saúde, Brazil's largest pharmacy chain, illustrates the model in action: Ecosuporte coordinates refrigerant recovery during store closures, provides certified disposal services, and supports the full maintenance supply chain, showing how policy objectives can translate into practical, scalable solutions.
Scaling up: The road to full phase-out by 2030
Together, these three initiatives are laying the groundwork for the complete phase-out of HCFCs by 2030 under stage III of the HPMP and the initial phase-down of HFCs in Brazil.
Stage III will expand on proven approaches: new supermarket demonstrations with larger modular chiller systems in eight pilot projects across the country, upgrades to university laboratories with capacity-building for 400 engineering students, and expansion of the recovery network through the scaling up activities and digital tools in existing reclamation centres and the establishment of three new centres. Training efforts will also increase significantly, with 4,000 additional technicians to be trained, supported by the ongoing development of a national certification framework.
Beyond refrigeration, the next stage will also extend to the air-conditioning sector, including demonstration projects to replace HCFC-based chillers and support for small commercial enterprises to phase out the use of HCFC-141b as a solvent and propellant. Together, these efforts position Brazil as a model for scaling climate-friendly refrigeration solutions and ensure that technological adoption goes hand in hand with the skills, safety, and institutional capacity needed to sustain the transition through 2030.