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It is a pleasure to acknowledge that the RAL Institute has taken the initiative of supporting the environmentally sound disposal of end-of-life refrigerators containing CFCs by establishing its Quality Mark "Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment Containing CFCs". Most of the old refrigerator and freezer appliances that have to be disposed of contain chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants. CFCs represent a major hazard to the earth"s ozone layer and contribute significantly to the global greenhouse effect. The serious adverse environmental effects of CFCs have led to commitments being established at national and international levels. In Germany, phasing-out the use of CFCs and preventing their emission into the environment are regulated by the German ordinance prohibiting the use of CFCs and halons and by the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty on the protection of the ozone layer. In 1998, following consultations with both national and international experts, the German Federal Environmental Agency drew up its Guidelines on the Disposal of Refrigeration Equipment. The aim was to identify technology assessment methods which were easy to implement. The Guidelines are designed, as the name suggests, to provide guidance and are not meant to be a substitute for individual testing. The RAL Quality Mark ‘Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment Containing CFCs", which is based in part on the Environmental Agency guidelines, is a free-market tool for implementing environmental policy and contributes towards sustainable development. The prevention of CFC emissions during the disposal of waste refrigeration equipment has been propagated for many years by the Environmental Agency. The new RAL Quality Mark represents a systematic means of realizing this goal and I very much hope that it achieves widespread acceptance.
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