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 Güntner, a German manufacturer of heat exchangers.
Güntner was approved for the ATMOsphere label in 2022, its inaugural year. The company has since been reapproved for the label three straight years.
“Being reapproved by ATMOsphere reflects our continued focus on meaningful climate impact through innovation,” said Michael Freiherr, Head of Technologies & Innovation Managing Director at Güntner Group Europe. “We concentrate our efforts where they matter most – reducing emissions during the use phase of our products. This recognition underscores our leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for cooling.”
The ATMO Approved label, launched in June 2022, 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. The model for the label was updated in 2025 to quantify avoided TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) emissions thanks to an approved company’s use of natural refrigerants.
Güntner’s roster of customers spans the globe and includes ABC Food Machinery, a Slovakian company that works in heating and refrigeration using ammonia (R717) and ammonia dimethyl ether (R723). Juraj Švingál, Technical Director at ABC, said his company has worked with Güntner for more than 25 years and that he could foresee them working together for the next 50.
“This recognition underscores our leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for cooling.”
Michael Freiherr
Head of Technologies & Innovation Managing Director at Güntner Group Europe
Quantifying PFAS/TFA
A notable addition to the 2025 label criteria is the focus on eliminating PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which includes TFA, a byproduct of the atmospheric degradation of many HFO and HFC refrigerants. Recent research has deemed TFA 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, the CEO and Founder of ATMOsphere. “ATMO Approved companies have the vision and leadership required to navigate the market today and help [organizations] move away from PFAS and global-warming synthetic alternatives.”
Güntner is a founding member of the Coalition for PFAS Free Cooling & Heating, which promotes natural refrigerants as alternatives to PFAS in cooling and heating systems and ambitious PFAS regulations in Europe. ATMOsphere is also a founding member of the Coalition.
Best-in-class certification
The ATMOsphere label is designed to help qualified manufacturers and contractors 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 CO2ATMOsphere Reapproves Natural Refrigerants Label for Güntner for the Third Time 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.
Güntner is the 13th company to be approved for the ATMO Approved label in 2025, joining Ceptek, RefPlus, Novum, OLAB, Nihon Netsugen Systems, Equans Kältetechnik, Refra, GTS, Fenagy, ENNS Industrial Refrigeration, Zudek and SURE Solutions.
