Retradeables: the first online marketplace for used F-gases in Europe

Abstract

Retradeables is intended to be the first European marketplace for used F-gases to support the circular economy of refrigerants extracted from HVAC-R equipment. In line with all relevant EU policies such as the F-gas Regulation, the Green Deal and the Waste Framework, Retradeables promotes the maximization of the quantities of recovered F-gases that are reused in the market by identifying the most suitable treatment method to be applied (recycling, reclamation or appropriate destruction) depending on their original quality grade (A/B/C). Currently, the Retradeables marketplace has been rolled-out in 3 EU countries: Slovakia (SK), Hungary (HU) and Czech Republic (CZ) with a view to scaling up across Europe in the next few years. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present the key functionalities of the marketplace platform, including the user registration process under internal and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) verification schemes, the individual trading activities of sellers (supply side) & buyers (demand side) within the platform, the use of wallets and the available payment service based on the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) network. At the same time, the full transparency about acting parties, refrigerant volumes & types and running prices as well as full traceability of all refrigerants on sale are both highlighted as the two key design parameters on which Retradeables is structured. Finally, it should be noted that Retradeables is now considered as a beta platform since continuous upgrades are made according to the various requirements and customizations indicated by local users.