November 12, 2015 – Major ski wax companies along with FIS are taking notice of recent regulatory actions by the European Union to cut fluorinated gases as part of their policy to combat climate change. The three groups of F-gases are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) – read more here.

HFCs are by far the most relevant F-gases from a climate perspective and are used in various sectors and applications, such as refrigerants in refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment including the manufacture of high-end xc ski waxes such as Swix’s Cera F which was “…at the cutting edge of research and improvement” when introduced in the late 80s.

Ski-nordique.net indicates the ban will take effect on Jan. 1, 2017 but a document outlining the affected products suggests 2019 as the effective date supported by a Swix official’s comment in the same report. And while these tougher guidelines are no surprise, as regulations have been in place for many years, the potential imact will be widespread beyond skiing.

Pundits wonder how FIS will address potential disparities between countries outside of Europe i.e. North America, who are not subject to potential bans vs those who are. The application of common standards to maintain a level playing field could be a challenge. One report questions the upcoming 2018 Olympics in South Korea – would all countries be able to use flourinated products ?

The problems of having a level playing field with regard to doping as well were recently expounded by Paul Melia, the head of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), who commented, “We learned our lesson in 1988, and we’re taking significant steps in Canada to ensure we’re compliant with the new World Anti-Doping Code, but our work is greatly eroded when WADA is not able to hold all international sport federations to the same standards.” – read more here.

The dangers associated with flourinated wax products are well known and wax companies such as Swix provide clear guidelines and recommendations for use of such products to prevent issues from arising – click here.

The EU hopes that its new legislation will inspire others to take action and claims a number of other countries are already developing similar approaches. Meanwhile it’s also hoped that there will be a stronger movement towards more climate-friendly technologies, along with the creation of new business opportunities and associated jobs.