Malaysia to Enforce New Approval Procedure for HCFCs in Refrigerators and Air Conditioners

On 4 July 2022 the Department of Environment of Malaysia, under the Ministry of Environment and Water, issued a notice announcing the new importation and manufacturing procedures for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment that use hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

The changes will take effect on 1 December 2022.

3E Review

The changes were made according to the Environmental Quality (Refrigerant Management) Regulations 2020, which are administered by the Department of Environment (DOE). Under the new changes, the importation, manufacture, and assembly of refrigerators and air conditioners that use HCFCs in Malaysia are prohibited. If a business wants to use these HCFCs, however, they first need to get approval from the DOE. The new approval procedure will apply to the following types of products:

• Refrigerator N16
• Air conditioner N30
• Water filters N12

From 1 December 2022, manufacturers, importers, exhibitors, sellers, and advertisers that want to import and manufacture such products must follow these steps:

• Apply for an approval letter from DOE
• Apply for a Certificate of Approval (COA) or Release Letter (RL) from the Energy Commission.

To obtain the DOE’s permit, businesses must be registered with Epermit. For detailed information on the DOE’s approval procedure and a complete list of product types, please visit the attachment in the source link or DOE’s FAQ. For those related to the Energy of Commission, please visit the EC Online Service.

Background: Malaysia’s Control of Ozone-Depleting Chemicals and Products

Adopting the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), Malaysia's DOE regulates specified ozone-depleting substances under the three following regulations:

• Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2017
• Customs (Prohibition of Export) Order 2017
• Environmental Quality (Refrigerant Management) Regulations 2020

Refrigerant substances used in manufacturing and assembling refrigeration systems or air-conditioning equipment are considered environmentally hazardous substances. The first two regulations contain the list of chemicals and products (HFCs and perfluorocarbons (PFCs)) that are either prohibited or restricted in Malaysia, including licensing and other requirements. For HCFC substances, they are listed in the Second Schedule of the Environmental Quality (Refrigerant Management) Regulations 2020. Thus, they are subject to prohibition without a DOE permit. This regulation also prohibits the manufacturing or installation of any HCFC-based, air-conditioning equipment for use in Malaysia.

3E Analysis

Companies that intend to import products containing these substances, such as those in the foam production, refrigeration, and air-conditioning industries, should be aware of these changes to ensure compliance.

The CAS RNs associated with this 3E Monitor article are among those affected by this change. For a copy of the source documents, please contact us at Support@3eco.com