Jamaica Phases Out Use Of Ozone-Depleting Substance

Jamaica has successfully phased out the use of a key ozone-depleting substance used in the foam manufacturing industry.

The substance, Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), was being used by SEAL Sprayed Solutions Limited to make spray-in-place insulation that controls moisture and temperature within buildings. The climate and ozone-friendly alternative, methyl formate, is now being used in the manufacturing process.

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) provided technical and financial assistance to SEAL Sprayed Solutions Limited to make the transition.

The elimination of the use of the substance was part of the first stage of the country’s HCFC Phase Out Management Plan Implementation Project in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The project aims to freeze importation of HCFCs at 2009 and 2010 average import levels (baseline consumption) as at January 2013; reduce baseline consumption by 10 per cent as at January 2015; and phase out HCFC use in the foam manufacturing. This is  in keeping with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, speaking at a ceremony at NEPA’s head office on August 12, said this project is a significant achievement for the company and for Jamaica.

He said SEAL Sprayed Solutions, which a survey revealed was the only company in Jamaica using HCFC, has phased out the use of 33 metric tonnes of the substance.

He handed over a cheque valued at over $545,000 to the company as the final payment to support the phase out process.

Total cost of the support provided to SEAL Sprayed Solutions over the three years amounted to over US$95,000.

Majority of HCFCs have a high global warming potential. The phase out of this, therefore, contributes significantly to climate change mitigation.