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Italy steps up the fight against illegal trade in climate-wrecking refrigerants

Just weeks after we released our report Fake, Frauds and F-gases, exposing illegal F-gas trade in Italy, the Italian Government has announced it will implement the EU Environmental Crime Directive. This long-awaited step will tighten penalties for those illegally producing, importing or placing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) on the market. HFCs […]

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Marine protection body must end delay to regulate the shipping of plastic pellets

Twice a year, EIA Ocean campaigners join the Clean Shipping Coalition delegation at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on the River Thames, once for the Sub-Committee on Pollution, Prevention and Response (PPR) and once for the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC). This week, we join the 84th meeting of the MEPC in London. Inside the […]

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EIA podcast – Uncovering Italy’s multi-million euro black market in climate-harming refrigerants

Climate-damaging refrigerant gases such as hydrofluorocarbons – more commonly called HFCs – are being phased out, but this has created an opportunity for widescale illegal trade that criminals have been quick to exploit. This chemical black market is worth hundreds of millions of euros a year in lost profits to legitimate suppliers and our investigators found […]

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Organised crime allegedly supplies illegal refrigerants to big Italian supply chains

Illegal climate-damaging refrigerant gases worth hundreds of millions of euros a year in lost profits to legitimate suppliers are entering Italy via organised criminal networks, penetrating major supply chains including manufacturing, supermarkets and the state railway. In our new report Fakes, Fraud and F-gases, we reveal the findings of our Climate team’s latest investigations into […]

Aerial shot of plastic pollution in the ocean
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European Chemical Agency supports EU-wide restriction on ‘forever chemicals’

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has published its expert opinions in support of EU-wide restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’), including fluorinated gases. The long-awaited opinions were drawn up by its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) on the proposed EU universal PFAS restriction. The proposal […]