Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emerged as alternative refrigerants after chloro fluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydro-chloro fluorocarbons (HCFCs) were identified as substances requiring control by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. However, because the Kyoto Protocol considered HFCs as greenhouse gases, and their impact on climate change has been increasing, major developed countries have been strengthening the existing level of regulations related to the use of HFCs as refrigerants. In addition, South Korea has also passed various legislations relating to refrigerant management, in the form of policies such as the Wastes Control Act, the Act on Control etc. of the Manufacture of Specific Substances for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Clean Air Conservation Act, and the Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles. However, reports indicate that these regulations have not been followed effectively due to the lack of a specific system relating to the phased management of production, use, and disposal of refrigerant materials. In order to identify and solve the problems relating to refrigerant management in South Korea, this study investigates the current state of refrigerant management in three separate phases: production, use, and disposal of refrigerants. Outstanding refrigerant management policies are also analyzed, using those enacted in the EU, United States, and Japan as examples, and these are then compared to regulations in Korea.

To carry out the Montreal Protocol, South Korea has completely prohibited the use of CFC which is a main refrigerant since 2010, and the use of HCFC is planned to be prohibited from 2040. Therefore, it is expected that dependency on HFC as an alternate substance of HCFC will be increased. Since HFC which is one of main substances causing global warming phenomenon may have a harmful influence on climate change, legal and institutional measures for totally managing HCFC and HFC are required. Therefore, in this study, the refrigerant management systems in EU, USA and Japan have been considered in three aspects, such as the legal system for refrigerant management, the management and regulation limits for products using refrigerant, and the reduction policies and trends, centering on HCFC and HFC which are international regulation and reduction objects. EU environmental law regulates over the entire process for ozone depletion substances, such as production, import, export, use, market release, recovery, landfill and decomposition thereof. The united states regulates forming agents, labeling agents or the like, pursuant to Article 608 of the Federal Clean Air Act (air conditioning and automobiles), and in the case of the state of California, PFC and SF6 including HFC are defined as high GWP, and separately classified and managed. Unlike EU and USA, Japan is characterized by applying the Freon recovery and decomposition law for totally managing the Freon-based gas such as CFC, HCFC and HFC, and regulations on the refrigerant recovery and decomposition for each product are also specified in separate law related to the recovery of End-Of-Life (EOL) home appliances and vehicles.