FMI 2025: Manufacturers Still Moving Ahead with Natural Refrigerant Products Despite Regulatory Uncertainty

On October 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed changes to the Technology Transitions rule that would push back compliance dates for GWP limits of 150 or 300 (depending on the size and charge of equipment) for refrigerants in supermarket refrigeration from 2026 and 2027 to 2032. A few days later at the 2025 FMI Energy and Store Development event, a variety of manufacturers showed that they’re still moving ahead with natural refrigerant products despite the regulatory uncertainty.

Several manufacturers at the event spoke with NaturalRefrigerants.com about new product launches, new product testing, expanded production capabilities and mobile training. The FMI Energy and Store Development event was held October 6–9 at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, California.

Most retailers are continuing to follow plans already in motion to adopt natural refrigerant solutions, including CO₂ (R744) racks and condensing units and propane (R290) self-contained cases and packaged systems. Dave Garner, Regional Manager at Robert’s Oxygen, a supplier of R744-grade compressed gas on the East Coast, said he saw a 50% increase in R744 gas sales in 2025 and that “momentum has continued into 2025 with another 50% rise.”

CO₂ news: The use of CO₂ refrigeration continues to climb in the U.S., as highlighted by U.S.-based ice flaker manufacturer Howe, the U.S. branch of Italian air heat exchanger manufacturer LU-VE, Canadian OEM RefPlus, U.S.-based pressure exchanger manufacturer Energy Recovery and U.S. heat rejection panel manufacturer Skycool.

• Howe: Howe has developed a CO₂ condensing unit in collaboration with CRR, according to Alexandra Pawlikowski, National Sales Director at Howe. “The condensing unit opens new markets for us, including fisheries, bakeries or retailers that don’t have enough room on the rack,” Pawlikowski said, adding that testing of the new condensing unit will begin in 2026.
• LU-VE: In 2018, LU-VE built a 70,000ft² (6,500m²) manufacturing facility in Texas to produce CO₂ air coils and unit coolers, which it is now expanding by 220,000ft² (20,400m2). “Starting in 2026 we will manufacture all of our outdoor CO₂ units ‒ including gas coolers, condensers and dry coolers ‒ in the new facility,” said Tommaso Scavone, Senior Sales Manager North America at LU-VE US.
• RefPlus: The company, which produces roughly 50 industrial CO₂ racks a year, plans to start manufacturing a CO₂ rack suitable for commercial applications in the near future, according to Mathieu Cardinal, President and CEO of RefPlus. “We are discussing designs with different retail chains,” he said.
• Energy Recovery: To showcase the benefits of its PXG1300 pressure exchanger in transcritical CO₂ systems, Energy Recovery is preparing a white paper, expected to be released in two months, using data collected from eight stores scattered throughout the U.S. and Europe. “The paper will outline the heat stability, energy savings and water savings of our device in CO₂ operations,” said Fardis Najafifard, Heat Pump and CO₂ Refrigeration Applications Engineer at the company.
• Skycool: At the 2024 FMI Energy and Store Development event, Skycool presented its roof-mounted heat rejection panel technology ‒ which passively precools CO₂ refrigeration systems ‒ and outlined an initial pilot study with U.S. retailer Target. At the 2025 event, Shawn Holzschuh, Director of Refrigeration at Target, reported that the retailer has installed the panels on 21 stores, including in California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada and Texas. “Last year, our site in Texas did not go supercritical once all summer,” Holzschuh said.

R290 news: Both U.S.-based Zero Zone and Italian manufacturer Rivacold showcased new propane products.

• Zero Zone: The company has developed its first self-contained plug-and-play propane merchandiser to give rural small-format stores a natural refrigerant option. “If there is a maintenance issue with the top-mounted R290 unit, a new condenser is easily swapped out for the old one,” said Ben Fisher, Director of Inside Sales and Engineering at Zero Zone. “The design eliminates troubleshooting by specifically trained technicians.”
• Rivacold: Rivacold highlighted a side-mounted R290 packaged system expected to launch in mid-2026. Each circuit contains 150g of propane, with up to three circuits possible per unit and the capability to combine up to four units. “We’ve got 100 of our roof-mounted R290 units installed in 20 convenient stores in the U.S., with sales growing,” said Sam Hagerman, Sales Manager at Rivacold America. “The side-mounted unit makes it easier to install and service.”

CO₂ training: Danfoss, a Danish manufacturer of refrigeration equipment and components, launched a new mobile training lab.

• The lab houses a 30,000BTU (8.8kW/2.5TR) CO₂ rack with medium- and low-temperature refrigeration capacity.
• “After FMI, we are taking the mobile unit to the NASRC’s [North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council] training session in northern California and then to Florida to film training in our Tallahassee facility,” said Dean Groff, Field Services Manager at Danfoss, adding that it will be available for scheduling in early 2026.
• Options for on-site training will include a one-day hands-on course, a weeklong course or a four-week in-depth course covering controls, programming and troubleshooting.

Quotable:“The number of manufacturers with CO₂ patents shows that CO₂ refrigeration is becoming mainstream,” said Tom Wolgamot, Principal Engineer at DC Engineer, in a presentation at the event. “There is a hesitancy by end users to go too deep into HFOs because of the potential for PFAS regulations in the U.S., like those in Europe.”