Tokyo – Japan’s Urethane Foam Industry Association said its members are working to eliminate fluorocarbons in rigid foam by March 2019, two years ahead of the mandatory deadline.
The association said that HFC blowing agent use had been restricted since 2015, and that this had started to reduce the amount used.
It continued that Japan’s rigid spray foamers, which buy their formulations from members of the Association, will have to start planning to reduce the use of HFC further.
This will enable them to meet the requirements of several Japanese guidelines, including ‘Guidelines on improvement of performance for prevention of heat loss of sprayed rigid urethane foam’, published by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy in October 2017.
Additionally, parts of the 2015 Building Energy Efficiency Conservation Law, which came into effect in 2017, and the Building Energy Conservation Act indicate that the only way that spray foam in Japan can confirm with the standards they promote is without the use of HFCs.
