Sail across the sea

Chapter 581 I don't know what got into him.
"Who's spouting all this nonsense!"

Chang Zhongren, the factory director of Xinye Zhongxiu Refrigerant Factory, slammed a newspaper on the table and angrily cursed.

Standing in front of his desk, Chi Huixin, the sales manager, looked distressed and complained, "Factory manager, this can't go on. Shiyong Refrigerator Factory said that by the end of the year at the latest, they will convert all the compressors to use F22 and stop using CFCs as refrigerants."

"Didn't they say that modifying the compressor design would cost a lot of money and that they wouldn't consider it in the short term?" Chang Zhongren asked.

Chi Huixin said, "Who says otherwise? Last year, I heard that the Ministry of Finance asked them if they wanted to apply for UN funding, and they refused. Their factory director, Liu, said that there are subsidies for changing the production line, but no subsidies for refrigerant. If they switch to F22, the price of refrigerant will double, and they won't do something so foolish."

Traditional refrigerators and air conditioners mostly use CFCs as refrigerants. To phase out CFCs, the refrigeration compressors that originally used CFCs must be replaced with HCFCs or HFCs. This involves redesigning the compressors and adjusting the production system, which requires a relatively large investment.

To help developing countries phase out CFCs, the parties to the Montreal Protocol decided to establish a multilateral fund, with contributions from developed countries, to provide grants to developing countries fulfilling their obligations under the agreement.

As a developing country, China is naturally eligible to receive grants. The government actively encourages relevant enterprises to apply for grants from multilateral funds and utilize these grants to complete the CFCs replacement program.

The Shiyong Refrigerator Factory that Chang Zhongren mentioned is the largest refrigerator factory in Xinye Province, and the compressors it currently uses use CFCs as the refrigerant. Relevant national departments had requested that it change the compressors to use F22 or other non-CFC refrigerants, and offered to help it apply for support from multilateral funds, but after weighing the options, the Shiyong Refrigerator Factory rejected the request.

The deadline for developing countries to completely phase out CFCs was 2010, which is more than ten years away. The Shiyong Refrigerator Factory has no interest in wasting its time on something that's more than ten years away.

Chang Zhongren also attended the commissioning ceremony of the F22 unit in Yanxiu. He was the one who argued with Gao Fan at the ceremony. After Gao Fan announced the cooperation terms for the construction of the F22 unit, Chang Zhongren called back to Zhongxiu and discussed it with several factory leaders. They all felt that there was no need to follow suit, so the matter was dropped.

The main reason why Zhongxiu Refrigerant Factory was not interested in the F22 unit was that it knew Shiyong Refrigerator Factory had no intention of changing its refrigerant. With such a large customer as Shiyong Refrigerator Factory, Zhongxiu Refrigerant Factory naturally didn't need to worry about its products being phased out.

But why did Shiyong Refrigerator Factory suddenly change its mind after agreeing that everyone would use CFCs?

"It's all because of these articles."

Chi Huixin pointed at the newspaper on Chang Zhongren's desk and said indignantly.

"For the past month or so, these journalists have been acting crazy, repeatedly hyping up the CFCs issue, insisting that perchlorofluorocarbons are harmful to the human body and that it is only safe to switch to hydrochlorofluorocarbons. They even brought up the Montreal Protocol as evidence. Didn't the country promote joining the Montreal Protocol a while ago? People compared these two things and believed this whole argument."

"Isn't this a far-fetched analogy!" Chang Zhongren said angrily. "The Montreal Protocol is about the ozone layer, how did it become about harm to the human body?"

“It is indeed harmful to the human body, so we can’t say that what the newspapers said is wrong,” Chi Huixin said.

"Breathing CFCs is harmful, of course it is, and you deserve to die from it. But what harm can something sealed inside a compressor do? Even if there's a refrigerant leak, how much can leak out? Talking about toxicity without considering dosage is just being irresponsible."

"But ordinary people don't understand this. Everyone values ​​their lives these days, and when they hear this stuff is poisonous, they don't dare buy it. I heard from people at the Shiyong Refrigerator Factory that their refrigerators haven't been selling well lately. Many refrigerators in the mall claim they don't contain fluorine, and they're selling like hotcakes." "Fluorine my ass!" Chang Zhongren almost laughed in anger.

CFCs are certainly toxic, and workers exposed to CFCs at Zhongleng receive health subsidies. However, this is based on long-term, high-volume exposure. If the compressor in a refrigerator were to leak such a large amount of refrigerant, would it still be usable?
But consumers don't understand this; they believe whatever the newspapers sensationalize. Originally, the Shiyong Refrigerator Factory thought using F22 as a refrigerant would increase the price of their refrigerators, making them less competitive. Now, consumers are saying, "A refrigerator lasts for over ten years; what's a little extra money? Safety is more important!"

"Factory manager, do you think someone is behind all this, with the newspapers reporting on these things every day?" Chi Huixin guessed.

A young figure inexplicably appeared in Chang Zhongren's mind. He tried desperately to recall what the young man had said, but he couldn't remember it clearly.

He vaguely remembered that the man had talked about the market issues after switching to F-22 production, but he couldn't recall exactly what he said. He only remembered that the young man had a confident smile on his face.

He recalled arguing with the young man, stating that he would refuse to cooperate with Canghai Fluorochemical Company if it couldn't guarantee their profits. The young man's expression was calm, even somewhat sarcastic.

In other words, that young man had already foreseen the current situation back then.

The government has requested that refrigerator and air conditioner manufacturers complete the replacement of compressors as soon as possible and switch to non-CFC refrigerants.

The government has also made similar requests to hydrofluorocarbon companies, suggesting that they switch to producing HCFC or HFC as soon as possible.

Only a few companies have complied with the government's requirements; the majority continue to do as they please. Over the years, companies have developed a set of bargaining tactics with the government: they don't need to pay any attention to the government's requirements because the law doesn't punish everyone, and the government is unlikely to single out one company.

If a government wants to forcefully implement its policies, it must provide real money to compensate businesses for their losses.

Anyone who does what the state asks before it promises compensation is a fool.

Because of this understanding, when Gao Fan said that the country might phase out CFCs ahead of schedule, Chang Zhongren didn't care; he didn't believe the country could do that.

In his view, Gao Fan was simply too young, perhaps even brainwashed by his studies, daring to speak so arrogantly in front of a group of industry veterans like them.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized that Gao Fan might actually have something to rely on, and it was these old guys who made the mistake of relying on experience.

Gao Fan may not be as experienced as him, but the level of knowledge Gao Fan has accessed is incomparable to his.

(End of this chapter)