Honeywell announced its agreement and technology license with an Indian manufacturer to produce Honeywell Solstice®yf, an automobile refrigerant with a global warming potential of less than one.

Honeywell will license its proprietary process technologies to produce the refrigerant to Navin Fluorine International Limited (NFIL), which will manufacture Solstice yfin India exclusively for Honeywell. Small-scale production is expected to begin by the end of 2016.

This agreement is in line with Honeywell's commitment to meet growing demand through a robust global supply infrastructure. Honeywell and its key suppliers are investing approximately USD 300 million to increase global production capacity for Solstice yf, including the construction of a new, world-scale manufacturing plant using new process technology at the company's existing refrigerants manufacturing site.

"More than eight million cars on the road today safely use Solstice yf. That number is expected to grow to more than 18 million cars by the end of 2016. This agreement reflects our commitment to delivering the supply chain reliability and security that customers can rely upon as they transition to next-generation products that are safe to use, available today and capable of making a significant positive environmental impact," said Vice President and General Manager Honeywell Fluorine Products, Ken Gayer.

The demand for Solstice in mobile air conditioning is increasing rapidly due to increased global environmental regulations and policies aimed at reducing the global warming impacts of HFCs. These include US Environmental Protection Agency has approved Solstice yf for use as a low-global-warming replacement for R-134a, which is banned in mobile air conditioning systems in new passenger cars and light-duty trucks starting in model year 2021.

Also, automakers in the US are also adopting Solstice yf to help comply with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and vehicle greenhouse gas standards, which aim to improve the average fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with cars and light trucks.

Solstice yf is part of a family of stationary, commercial and mobile refrigerants, liquid and gaseous blowing agents, solvents and propellants based on Honeywell's hydrofluoro-olefin technology, which helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance.

Honeywell and its suppliers are in the middle of a USD 900 million investment program in Research and development and new capacity to produce next-generation refrigerants, insulation materials, aerosols and solvents, which have global warming potentials equal to or better than carbon dioxide and at least 99 percent lower than most technologies used today.