The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) is marking World Ozone Day 2026 by recognising more than 118,000 ARCtick licensed technicians and businesses for safely handling refrigerants and helping keep them out of the atmosphere.
World Ozone Day 2026 marks 10 years since the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was adopted, adding action on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Australia was one of the first countries to ratify the amendment and began its HFC phase-down on 1 January 2018. The phase-down is set to reduce bulk HFC imports to 15% of baseline levels by 2036.
ARC operates the national ARCtick licensing scheme for the refrigeration and air conditioning industry on behalf of the Australian Government through a co-regulatory model. The scheme combines refrigerant handling licences with recognised training, compliance checks and industry education. Australia also uses an HFC import quota system and refrigerant recovery from end-of-life equipment to improve refrigerant management.
“The Kigali Amendment showed that environmental action and economic growth can work together. Cutting emissions from high global warming refrigerants needs strong rules. It also needs skilled workers who can use new technologies safely,” ARC Chief Executive Officer Mark Lamb said. “For more than 20 years, ARCtick licence holders have helped by recovering, recycling and safely handling refrigerants.”
As Australia moves to lower global warming refrigerants and new equipment, ARC says licensed technicians will help put policy into practice. “Every refrigerant recovered instead of released helps. So does every system installed correctly and every technician who keeps their skills up to date,” Lamb said.
World Ozone Day is held annually on 16 September and marks the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987. The 2026 theme is “Global action for a cooler planet”.
