Honeywell announced Dec. 1 that its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, facility has doubled production capacity of Honeywell Solstice ze (HFO-1234ze), an ultra-low-global-warming-potential and energy-efficient solution compared to other current technologies. Solstice ze is used in foam insulation, as an aerosol propellant, and in refrigeration and air conditioning applications.

Solstice ze is part of Honeywell’s Solstice line of products based on hydrofluoroolefin technology, which helps customers reduce their environmental impact and increase energy efficiency without sacrificing end-product performance or safety. With multiple regulations stemming from the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the demand for lower-GWP solutions continues to grow. This investment will help ensure global supply needs are met.

“Expanding capacity to produce Solstice ze at our Baton Rouge facility demonstrates Honeywell’s ongoing commitment to providing our customers with ready-now solutions that support their environmental transformations,” said Laura Reinhard, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Foam and Industrial Products. “We will continue to invest in this important technology to help our customers around the world meet regulatory requirements and decrease their carbon footprint.”

Honeywell has invested more than one billion dollars in research, development and new capacity for its Solstice technology, having anticipated the need for lower-GWP solutions to combat climate change more than a decade ago. The product line includes refrigerants for supermarkets, air conditioning for cars and trucks, blowing agents for insulation, aerosol propellants, solvents for cleaning solutions and is being evaluated for use in metered dose inhalers.

Using Honeywell Solstice technology has helped avoid the potential release of the equivalent of more than 295 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere so far, equal to the carbon emissions from nearly 688 million barrels of oil.¹

Honeywell is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035 and recently announced a new set of commitments that further advance its sustainability goals, including committing to set a science-based target with the Science Based Targets initiative that will include scope 3 emissions and participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge. The company also supports the Paris Climate Agreement. These efforts build on the company’s track record of sharply reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities, as well as its decades-long history of innovation to help its customers meet their environmental and social goals. In 2021, approximately 60 percent of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment was directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.

For more information on Solstice ze (HFO-1234ze), its applications and impact, visit: https://sustainability.honeywell.com/us/en.

¹ Calculations are based on Solstice sales through July 2022, comparing the difference in GWP of those products to the HFCs and/or HCFCs they replaced.