ATLANTA - As part of its commitment to environmental "sustainability," the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers is supporting ARI's guide for responsible refrigerant use.

Developed by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Responsible Use Guide for Minimizing Fluorocarbon Emissions in Manufacturing Facilities, encourages refrigerant containment and environmental protection.

"Our endorsement concurs with a strong industry initiative that was conducted by ASHRAE members having as their objective the bringing of good practices to the world in a written form," said Terry Townsend, P.E., ASHRAE president. "This also illustrates ASHRAE's strong support of a global sustainability initiative, along with many other organizations."

"Receiving ASHRAE's endorsement of ARI's responsible use of refrigerants guidelines demonstrates the industry is fully embracing this initiative to reduce fluorocarbon emissions in manufacturing facilities," said ARI President William G. Sutton. "Responsible use requires all parties involved with refrigerants - from the engineers designing products to plant managers and workers on the assembly line - to be attentive to emission issues and to effectively address them if we are to maintain continued use of these chemicals in HVACR products."