"Indonesian Start-Up Tackles Global Warming with Refrigerant Capture Technology"

Indonesian startup Recoolit is tackling climate change by capturing refrigerants from air-conditioners, fridges, and cars, which are potent greenhouse gases. The company trains and incentivizes technicians to collect the refrigerants, which are then destroyed in a government-approved cement kiln or incinerator. This effort aims to mitigate the impact of refrigerants, which are expected to account for 7-19% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Indonesian startup Recoolit is making strides in the fight against climate change by targeting a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions: refrigerants. These potent gases, found in air-conditioners, fridges, and cars, are expected to account for 7-19% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 [1]. Recoolit, founded in 2021, is addressing this growing problem by capturing refrigerants from these devices and ensuring their destruction.

The company's approach involves training and incentivizing technicians to collect refrigerants. These technicians are paid 50,000 rupiah ($3) per kilogram of recovered refrigerant, which is then sent to government-approved cement kilns or municipal incinerators for destruction [1]. This method not only reduces the environmental impact of refrigerants but also creates a sustainable economic model.

Recoolit's carbon credit system, priced at $75 a unit, allows the company to generate revenue while contributing to climate change mitigation. The company argues that its carbon credits are robust due to measurable destruction of climate-warming gases and third-party verification [1]. However, critics have warned that offsetting can give the impression that emissions can be erased through financial transactions, rather than reduced [1].

The startup has caught the attention of big tech players, including Google, which announced a partnership to prevent emissions equivalent to one million tons of carbon dioxide [1]. Google aims to help Recoolit scale up operations and expand outside Indonesia.

Recoolit's efforts are timely, given the increasing demand for cooling and refrigeration due to climate change and expanding middle classes in developing countries [1]. The Kigali amendment, which aims to phase out HFCs, is expected to significantly reduce refrigerant emissions in Brazil from 2.8 million tons of CO2e in 2024 to 1.2 million tons of CO2e in 2050 [2].

While refrigerant capture should ideally be enforced by government policy, Recoolit argues that it is filling a real-world gap unlikely to be addressed otherwise. The company's innovative approach to mitigating climate change through refrigerant capture is a promising development in the fight against global warming.

References:
[1] https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250710-in-indonesia-a-start-up-captures-coolants-to-stop-global-warming
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140700725002804