DuPont Refrigerants has announced a successful settlement with TA Fresco in a case involving the packaging and sale of counterfeit illegal DuPont Suva 134a.
In 2012, DuPont initiated an investigation into TA Fresco, a company in the Philippines, which was supplying refrigerants to a service provider in the shipping industry. An undercover purchase was conducted by DuPont which revealed that TA Fresco was selling R-134a refrigerant cylinders with incorrect spelling and markings, which indicates counterfeit product. Upon further testing of the contents of the cylinders, the product was determined to be made up of more than 90 per cent R-12 refrigerant. With the help of US Homeland Security officials, local police raided the TA Fresco warehouse and seized 511 counterfeit cylinders, falsely labelled as' DuPont Suva 134a'.

In third quarter of 2013 DuPont negotiated the settlement of this case, which included a formal public apology in a Philippines national newspaper, full compensation for the destruction of the counterfeit refrigerant and monetary compensation for the illegal distribution of this product. Most importantly, the negotiation resulted in disclosure of the source of supply to TA Fresco. A separate legal investigation has been opened on the named company in China.

Global brand protection manager of DuPont Refrigerants, Elizabeth M Sassano, said: 'This case was not only a blatant counterfeit situation but also involved the illegal smuggling of ODS, violating the Montreal Protocol.

'DuPont takes protection of its brands and safety and compliance with environmental international treaties very seriously. We will continue to pursue and prosecute such cases to the fullest extent of the law.'

For more information on the DuPont Brand Assurance Anti-Counterfeiting Initiative visit http://refrigerants.dupont.com/genuine