Looking at the results 6 months after ATMOsphere 2009, the international conference can prove that it lived up to its promises. Moreover, the main goal of bringing natural refrigerants “faster to market” got a bit closer. Besides the excellent immediate feedback from participants, the conference has been also a success in terms of future industry and political impact.

• THENATURALVOICE - 83 signatories: This new campaign was launched at ATMOsphere 2009 as a global call for action in favour of natural refrigerants. Today, the initiative is already supported by 83 international industry and research organisations.
• Developing Economies: The conference sparked a strong interest in natural refrigerant technologies from developing world representatives. In addition, we gathered data about industry needs in these countries to support their further development in a sustainable way.
• US GreenChill Guidelines: The US Environmental Protection Agency valued the know-how and discussions at ATMOsphere 2009 in its GreenChill guidelines for commercial refrigeration and is supporting a shift of thinking towards natural refrigerants among food retailers.
• UK Anti-HFC Bill: ATMOsphere speaker and UK Member of Parliament Clive Efford introduced an anti-HFC bill in supermarket refrigeration.
• CO₂ manual and e-learning module: In the framework of the EU-funded project NARECO2, a CO₂ manual, encompassing an extensive collection of contributions about the safe and efficient use of CO₂, was launched. Together with an e-learning module to learn and train on the specifics of CO₂, it is available for free to enhance knowledge exchange.
• Worldwide visibility: With a broad print and online media coverage and over 10,000 additional page views on specialised B2B platforms, ATMOsphere 2009 delivered on disseminating knowledge about best practice and new developments in natural refrigerant technology to experts and interested parties all around the globe.
  

For more details about the results from ATMOsphere 2009, please find attached a flyer summarising key achievements.

What next?

Due to the positive reactions from participants but also realising the remaining challenges and market barriers for natural refrigerants to enter new applications and markets, the organisers decided to arrange a follow-up event: ATMOsphere 2010.

The event will this time have a stronger focus on HOW market innovations can find their way “faster to market” in both developed and developing countries. The International Workshop will take a more proactive approach with small working groups and all main stakeholder groups united to propose concrete steps to support the global uptake of natural refrigerants solutions. The event will take place on 27-28 September in Brussels, the heart of European politics. The registrations will open mid-May.

Download the ATMOsphere flyer