United Nations Earth Summit+5 Success Stories - Towards a cleaner environment

EARTH SUMMIT+5
Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise
the Implementation of Agenda 21
New York, 23-27 June 1997
SUCCESS STORIES FROM CAMEROON

Towards a cleaner environment

Location Douala, Cameroon

Responsible organization(s) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as the implementing agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

Description The aim of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol is to limit the future use of ozone depleting substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), released into the atmosphere.
UNIDO's expertise and the quality of prepared project proposals, aiming at introducing technology that is completely ODS-free, has placed the Organization among the four implementing agencies of the Fund.
In Cameroon, a private firm called FAEM S.A. is the only company manufacturing and selling commercial and domestic refrigerators, air conditioners, cold storage rooms and gas cookers. It also markets its products in Gabon, Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. The company follows the ISO standard 7371 and publishes the energy consumption of each model.
Although the insulation thickness reaches the standards of today's refrigerators technology, it does not follow the dimensions used by some advanced manufacturers for the northern European market. The company's products have an average service life of some 15 years. Some seven per cent of them are re-charged with about 9,3 MT of new CFC 12 annually. Instead of using vacuum pumps and charging boards, workers often use CFC 12 for washing/flushing cooling systems due to the lack of equipment in the service sector. FAEM S.A. has agreed to phase out ODS as it is responsible for some 60 per cent of ODS consumed in the country. Among the technological options currently available on a commercial basis, the firm has chosen to replace CFC 12 by HFC 134a because a new type of compressors is available and the technology is commercially applied. The ongoing project includes procurement of new machinery and equipment, as well as rebuilding and partially replacing current equipment such as vacuum pumps. It also focuses on redesign and prototype manufacturing and testing of refrigerators and freezers. The training of technical personnel is taking place in Europe, including on-the-job-training.

Issues addressed Protection of the ozone layer and health protection.

Objectives To eliminate the use of ODS, namely CFC 11 and CFC 12 in the production of domestic refrigerators, freezers and the insulation of cold storage rooms;
to introduce HFC 134a as a refrigerant and cyclopentane as the blowing agent in insulation foam.

Results achieved After the installation of new equipment and training of workers on new safety and handling standards is completed, some 64 per cent of ODS consumption is expected to be phased-out in the refrigerator industry annually.

Lessons learned Transfer of appropriate technology and improvement of existing facilities.

Financing The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

Contact Mr. Mohamed Derrough, Chemical Industries Branch,
UNIDO Vienna International Centre
P.O. Box 400 A-1400 Vienna Austria
Telephone: (+43 1) 21131/3885

Copyright © United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Comments and suggestions: esa@un.org
1 November 1997

	Towards a cleaner environment
	Location	Douala, Cameroon
	Responsible organization(s)	United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as the implementing agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
	Description	The aim of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol is to limit the future use of ozone depleting substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), released into the atmosphere. UNIDO's expertise and the quality of prepared project proposals, aiming at introducing technology that is completely ODS-free, has placed the Organization among the four implementing agencies of the Fund. In Cameroon, a private firm called FAEM S.A. is the only company manufacturing and selling commercial and domestic refrigerators, air conditioners, cold storage rooms and gas cookers. It also markets its products in Gabon, Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. The company follows the ISO standard 7371 and publishes the energy consumption of each model. Although the insulation thickness reaches the standards of today's refrigerators technology, it does not follow the dimensions used by some advanced manufacturers for the northern European market. The company's products have an average service life of some 15 years. Some seven per cent of them are re-charged with about 9,3 MT of new CFC 12 annually. Instead of using vacuum pumps and charging boards, workers often use CFC 12 for washing/flushing cooling systems due to the lack of equipment in the service sector. FAEM S.A. has agreed to phase out ODS as it is responsible for some 60 per cent of ODS consumed in the country. Among the technological options currently available on a commercial basis, the firm has chosen to replace CFC 12 by HFC 134a because a new type of compressors is available and the technology is commercially applied. The ongoing project includes procurement of new machinery and equipment, as well as rebuilding and partially replacing current equipment such as vacuum pumps. It also focuses on redesign and prototype manufacturing and testing of refrigerators and freezers. The training of technical personnel is taking place in Europe, including on-the-job-training.
	Issues addressed	Protection of the ozone layer and health protection.
	Objectives	To eliminate the use of ODS, namely CFC 11 and CFC 12 in the production of domestic refrigerators, freezers and the insulation of cold storage rooms; to introduce HFC 134a as a refrigerant and cyclopentane as the blowing agent in insulation foam.
	Results achieved	After the installation of new equipment and training of workers on new safety and handling standards is completed, some 64 per cent of ODS consumption is expected to be phased-out in the refrigerator industry annually.
	Lessons learned	Transfer of appropriate technology and improvement of existing facilities.
	Financing	The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
	Contact	Mr. Mohamed Derrough, Chemical Industries Branch, UNIDO Vienna International Centre P.O. Box 400 A-1400 Vienna Austria Telephone: (+43 1) 21131/3885