The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced an extension of its deal with chemistry company Chemours to continue to provide environmentally and economically sustainable solutions to the sport.
The partnership, originally established in 2018, promises to enhance education, technical support, innovation and sustainable solutions with Opteon refrigerants to support the NHL’s commitment to ensuring all levels of hockey ‘thrive for future generations’.
Additionally, the league claims that it will “expand beyond ice rinks and into the classroom via support of Chemours’ middle school partnership program to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals, while fostering values core to both organizations, such as integrity, respect, courage, teamwork, perseverance, and acceptance”.
With the renewal, both organisations are looking to build upon ‘strong foundations of successful outreach’ to community and professional ice rinks, providing sustainable refrigerant solutions across North America – which has historically been dependent on ozone depleting or high global warming potential refrigerants.
Furthermore, Chemours added: “The collaborative approach between the NHL and Chemours has encouraged taking a more holistic view of rink and facilities management that goes beyond a simple comparison of refrigerant fluids and encompasses total system emissions and life cycle costs of facility operations.”
The extension comes at a time when US regulatory changes require the phase-out of the production and import of high GWP refrigerants, such as HCFC-22, as part of the passage of the AIM Act.
Community rink owners and operators now need to be ‘well informed’ on changing environmental regulations, and consider several factors when selecting refrigerants including equipment age, installation cost, and safety to name a few.
Adding to the leagues sustainability portfolio, its NHL Green platform continues to promote accessibility and sustainability throughout hockey, particularly as the league focuses on growing the game across North America.
