ATMOsphere, a global market accelerator of clean cooling and heating solutions and publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has reapproved the ATMO Approved Natural Refrigerants Label for Equans Kältetechnik, an Austrian refrigeration contractor.
This marks the second approval for the company, which was first certified in April 2024.
“For years we have had a clear strategic focus on natural refrigerants as we are convinced that GWP and PFAS [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances] issues limit the future of synthetic alternatives,” said Managing Director Philipp Baumgartner. “We therefore only invest in new technologies with natural refrigerants and want to establish our organization as the leading partner for sustainable, natural solutions in the German-speaking market.”
Launched in June 2022, the ATMO Approved label was created to offer a global benchmark for identifying leading manufacturers of natural refrigerant systems and components. In 2024, the label’s scope expanded to include contractors and installers, reflecting the growing need for excellence across the entire natural refrigerant sector.
High temperatures, high reliability
Based in Lauterach, Austria, Equans Kältetechnik is part of Equans (a subsidiary of the Bouygues group), which also supports customers in HVAC, mechanics and robotics, IT and facility management. Equans operates in key European markets (notably Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the U.K.) and is also positioned in the U.S. and Latin America.
Equans Kältetechnik was founded in 1947, and the company says it installed the world’s first CO₂ (R744) refrigeration system for an ice rink in 1998. Today, it offers natural refrigerant systems for small-scale commercial systems to large-scale industrial projects, working with hydrocarbons, ammonia (R717) and CO₂ (R744). This includes a high-temperature ammonia heat pump capable of reaching a temperature of 95°C (203°F) that can use waste heat from an ammonia chiller as its heat source.
Equans Kältetechnik recently installed an ammonia chiller/heat pump at a facility for the Société Suisse des Explosifs (SSE), a manufacturer of civil explosives located in Brig, Switzerland. Samuel Meyer, Project Manager at SSE, praised the chiller for its reliability.
“During this half year of service, there have been no major issues,” Meyer said. “The company was nevertheless available and helpful for minor issues and further improvements and supplied us with the necessary training and educational opportunities.”
Quantifying PFAS
A notable addition to the label criteria for 2025 is the focus on eliminating PFAS, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a byproduct of the atmospheric degradation of many HFO and HFC refrigerants. Research has linked TFA to environmental accumulation and potential health risks, including reproductive toxicity and liver dysfunction in animal studies.
In November 2024, ATMOsphere opened registration for the 2025 label, announcing the calculation of the amount of TFA emissions avoided by certified companies through their natural refrigerant solutions. TFA is a PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” that forms through the atmospheric degradation of many HFOs as well as R134a.
This addition to the label criteria aligns with recent research highlighting TFA as a “planetary boundary threat” due to its potential risks to human and environmental health.
“The label criteria around PFAS acknowledges what companies are doing to ensure they are PFAS-free,” said Marc Chasserot, CEO and Founder of ATMOsphere. “ATMO Approved companies have the vision and leadership required to navigate the market today and help [companies] move away from PFAS and global-warming synthetic alternatives.”
Best-in-class certification
The ATMOsphere label is designed to help qualified manufacturers and contractors to market products and services to new customers and regions in the natural refrigerants marketplace. Certified organizations can display the label on products, marketing materials, email signatures and trade show booths, boosting their visibility and helping end users identify best-in-class suppliers.
To qualify, companies must demonstrate excellence across four pillars:
- Company vision – a commitment to natural refrigerants as a core business.
- Customer satisfaction – positive end-user testimonials confirming reliability and performance.
- Measurable impact – mitigation of CO₂ and TFA emissions.
- Proactive training – investment in employee and stakeholder education.
Additional information on the 2025 label and the registration form can be found here.
ATMOsphere has been active in the natural refrigerant space for nearly 20 years, producing dozens of market reports, publishing thousands of news articles, hosting more than 60 international conferences and attending hundreds of trade shows during this time.
Equans Kältetechnik is the sixth company to be approved for the ATMO Approved label in 2025, following Refra, GTS, Fenagy, ENNS Industrial Refrigeration and Zudek. Manufacturers and contractors that were approved for the Natural Refrigerants Label in 2024 were SURE Solutions, General Refrigeration, Secon, Güntner, Nihon Netsugen Systems, TEKO, Refra, M&M Carnot, Zero-C, Equans Kältetechnik, Zudek, SCM Frigo, Temprite, Ceptek, Novum and Vahterus.
