Honeywell has entered into a supply agreement and technology license with an Indian manufacturer to produce Honeywell Solstice yf, an automobile refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 1. Honeywell will license its proprietary process technologies to produce the refrigerant to Navin Fluorine International Ltd (NFIL), which will manufacture Solstice yf in India exclusively for Honeywell. Small-scale production is expected to begin by the end of 2016.

Honeywell says it is committed to meet growing demand through a robust global supply infrastructure. Honeywell and its key suppliers are investing approximately $300 million to increase global production capacity for Solstice yf, including the construction of a new, world-scale manufacturing plant using new process technology at the company's existing Geismar, Louisiana, U.S., refrigerants manufacturing site.

“More than 8 million cars on the road today safely use Solstice yf. That number is expected to grow to more than 18 million cars by the end of 2016. This agreement reflects our commitment to delivering the supply chain reliability and security that customers can rely upon as they transition to next-generation products that are safe to use, available today, and capable of making a significant positive environmental impact,” said Ken Gayer, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell Fluorine Products. “Honeywell's supply agreement with NFIL, one of India's largest manufacturers of specialty fluorochemicals, represents a first step in our commercial relationship that will help us to meet growing global demand for Solstice yf.”

Solstice yf, also known as HFO-1234yf, is a next-generation hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) refrigerant that is a near drop-in replacement for R-134a, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) with a GWP of 1,300, for use in vehicle air-conditioning systems globally. Solstice yf is also being used in a growing number of stationary air conditioning and commercial refrigeration applications. The demand for Solstice yf for use in mobile air conditioning is increasing rapidly due to increased global environmental regulations and policies aimed at reducing the global warming impacts of HFCs.