INTERVIEW
Orbia's evolution: Pioneering refrigerants
Dave Smith, executive vice president of B&I at Orbia (Wavin), started with ICI in 1990, then moved to INEOS and later Mexichem. Over the years, he’s seen it all – from the Montreal Protocol and the shift from CFCs to HFCs to the latest focus on low-GWP, next-gen refrigerants. Here, he talks to ACR News about Orbia’s journey from ICI and the future of refrigerants.
Can you give us an outline of the journey from ICI to Orbia? Initially, ICI was just a regional European refrigerant producer. However, after the Montreal Protocol, ICI launched R134a globally in the early ‘90s, which was a game-changer. We quickly followed up with investments in the US and Japan, making ICI a global player in non-ozone-depleting refrigerants. We also launched medical-grade R134a in 1995, which helped transition metered dose inhalers from CFCs to HFCs. The big change came in 2001 when INEOS took over during
ICI’s restructuring. INEOS held the reins until 2010 when Mexichem acquired the business. Mexichem has a rich history in fl uorine materials, dating back to 1986 with the acquisition of a fl uorspar mine in Mexico. Today, Mexichem is the largest fl uorspar miner in the world, supplying various industries, including refrigerants, medical propellants, and the EV lithium- ion battery supply chain. Mexichem then acquired what was known as Quimica Fluor, an HF production facility in Matamoros, northern Mexico. This acquisition connected the raw materials, fl uorspar and HF. For a while, Mexichem sold HF to downstream players, including INEOS Fluor. So, Mexichem was originally a supplier. However, the game-changer came in 2010 when Mexichem
acquired INEOS Fluor. This acquisition integrated the raw material chain – from fl uorspar to HF – into the downstream fl uorochemical products that INEOS Fluor had. This marked a signifi cant transformation for Mexichem, evolving from a heritage company to the global, multifaceted entity now known as Orbia. Orbia’s business spans fl uor and energy materials, which includes refrigerants, medical propellants, and investments in energy storage solutions. Their interests also extend to polymer solutions, precision agriculture, and connectivity solutions. The shift from Mexichem to Orbia showcases the company’s
growth into a global player with a wide range of segments. This new branding refl ects Orbia’s broader customer base and mission to improve lives worldwide through its fi ve business groups. I’m particularly excited about the fl uorine energy materials group, which localises and secures the battery materials supply
14 February 2025 •
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chain in the US. This group is crucial in the evolution of the refrigerant sector – from ozone-depleting substances to non- ozone-depleting and now to low-GWP solutions. It also impacts the pharmaceutical industry and the whole energy supply chain, including lithium-ion batteries. This journey started with Mexichem acquiring a fl uorspar mine in 1986, combining it with ICI and INEOS’s fl uorochemical expertise. The result is a truly global business with massive opportunities and impact.
Where is the company going? The core of our work is the fl uorine supply chain and its
journey through various downstream products and services, all contributing to our mission of advancing life worldwide. A key area of interest is our refrigerant portfolio. We’re transitioning from mid-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerants to low- GWP solutions. While the CFCs we replaced had much higher GWP than current HFCs, we’re striving towards even lower GWP options.
It used to be that one CFC used to cover multiple applications, but now we have a range of specialised products like R444A, R456A, and R485A. This diversity is crucial as GWP is a baseline requirement, but energy effi ciency and lifecycle climate performance (LCCP) are the real game-changers in decarbonising the refrigerant supply chain. This fragmentation means our products must be high- performance and tailored for specifi c applications, such as heat pumps or MAC (Mobile Air Conditioning) systems. We’ve invested heavily in research and development and technical and application know-how to design products that meet these diverse needs while being low-GWP. Ultimately, our focus is on improving energy effi ciency and LCCP.
How do you think refrigerants are going to evolve? It’s a complicated issue with no simple, black-and-white
answers. We must accept that society demands heating, cooling, food preservation, and other essential services that impact our products. The primary driver here is LCCP (Life Cycle Climate Performance). We must make choices with the lowest overall climate impact, which isn’t always the same as choosing
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