Question 1

What is ATMO Approved?

Accepted Answer

ATMO Approved is an independent "Best in Class" certification administered by ATMOsphere for companies using natural refrigerants (CO₂, ammonia, hydrocarbons, and water) in commercial and industrial cooling, refrigeration, and heat-pump systems. Each year, certified companies must meet strict criteria and demonstrate verified impact through measured CO₂e and TFA avoidance.

Question 2

Who certifies ATMO Approved companies?

Accepted Answer

Certification is administered by ATMOsphere, the independent authority on natural refrigerants since 2006. ATMOsphere is editorially independent from the certified companies and runs the calculation methodology in-house.

Question 3

How are the avoided CO₂ and TFA figures calculated?

Accepted Answer

Figures are calculated by ATMOsphere using a proprietary model that compares a certified company's natural-refrigerant deployments against a counterfactual baseline of synthetic HFC/HFO refrigerants in equivalent applications. CO₂-equivalent avoidance is reported on both GWP 20-year and GWP 100-year horizons, expressed in metric tonnes. TFA avoidance is reported as lifetime metric tonnes of trifluoroacetic acid kept out of the atmospheric cycle.

Question 4

What is TFA and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) is a persistent "forever chemical" that synthetic HFO refrigerants degrade into in the atmosphere. It accumulates in water systems, soil, and biota with no known natural breakdown pathway. Natural refrigerants (CO₂, ammonia, hydrocarbons, water) do not produce TFA, so every kilogram of synthetic refrigerant replaced is a kilogram of future TFA pollution prevented.

Question 5

What are GWP 20 and GWP 100?

Accepted Answer

GWP (Global Warming Potential) measures a greenhouse gas's heat-trapping effect relative to CO₂ over a given time horizon. GWP 20 reflects the 20-year warming impact, relevant to short-term climate tipping-point risk. GWP 100 reflects the 100-year impact, the metric most regulators use. The ATMO Approved impact reports publish both because refrigerant gases have very different short-term and century-scale profiles.

Question 6

Which natural refrigerants does ATMO Approved cover?

Accepted Answer

Four refrigerants qualify: CO₂ (R-744), ammonia (R-717), hydrocarbons (propane R-290, isobutane R-600a, propylene R-1270), and water (R-718). These are the four natural working fluids with negligible direct global-warming potential and zero TFA production pathway.

Question 7

How long does ATMO Approved certification last?

Accepted Answer

Certification is granted annually. Each company must reapply and re-demonstrate verified impact every year to retain the label and appear in the active cohort. Past-cohort impact reports remain published as a permanent record at the same canonical URL.

Question 8

How do companies apply for ATMO Approved certification?

Accepted Answer

Companies using natural refrigerants in commercial or industrial applications can apply via the ATMOsphere application form. Each application is reviewed against the published criteria for the applicable category: manufacturer, contractor, or gas producer.

Best in Class. Independently verified.

Ceptek Inc.

ENNS Industrial Refrigeration

Fenagy

GÃ¼ntner

GTS

Kælitækni ehf.

M&M Carnot

Nihon Netsugen Systems

OLAB SRL

RefPlus

REFRA

SECON GmbH

SRT

SURE Solutions

TECNOFREDDO

TEKO Refrigeration

UNIC-AIR

Vahterus

Zudek

See the companies approved in previous years