The United Nations Development Program has marked a milestone in China's environmental progress: the successful phase-out of HCFCs in the country's solvent sector under Stage II of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which China joined in 1991.

Alongside China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, an affiliate with the ministry, UNDP China hosted the Experience Exchange and Commendation Conference on the Phase-Out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons in Beijing on Monday.

The event gathered officials, industry representatives, and development partners to celebrate the conclusion of a three-decade effort in China's solvent sector.

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It came just over two months after China's nationwide ban on HCFCs in cleaning agents took effect on July 1, 2026, which marked the formal conclusion of the phase-out process in China's solvent sector.

Since the launch of the Stage II HCFCs phase-out project in 2016, UNDP has worked in close partnership with FECO to support the efforts to phase out the ozone-depleting substances, according to a media release from UNDP China.

Over the past decade, the collaboration has enabled 53 enterprises across 12 provinces to transition away from HCFCs to other alternative substances, it said.

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"China's solvent sector phase-out represents the final sprint in this compliance journey, and UNDP has been proud to stand alongside Chinese partners every step of the way," Stefan Liller, UNDP Resident Representative in China, said at the opening ceremony.

"What we have achieved here demonstrates that industrial transformation and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand," he added.