Solstice Advanced Materials Launches Direct-to-YF Retrofit Concept for Existing R-134a Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems

Sept 8, 2026

Designed to support an easy-to-use retrofit process in professional workshops

BRUSSELS, Belgium, 08 September 2026 – Solstice Advanced Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: SOLS), a global leader in high-performance specialty materials, today announced the launch of its Direct-to-YF (DTYF) 134a retrofit concept, an aftermarket solution designed to enable the conversion of existing R-134a vehicle air conditioning systems to Solstice® YF (R-1234yf). Introduced at Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, the concept is intended for professional workshops servicing the large installed base of vehicles that continue to operate with R-134a air conditioning systems.

The retrofit is designed to enable professional workshops to accommodate R-1234yf without needing to replace or modify existing 134a air conditioning system components. The process consists of three steps: (1) recover the remaining R-134a refrigerant from the vehicle system and repair the leak, (2) fit a pair of newly designed snap-on 134a to R-1234yf adapters to the vehicle and (3) inject a small amount of a specially developed oil additive designed to optimize oil return to the compressor before recharging the vehicle system with R-1234yf. The new R-1234yf refrigerant identification label is then applied under the hood.

"The European aftermarket is currently servicing a vehicle fleet that includes more than 100 million R-134a systems alongside newer vehicles operating with R-1234yf," said Rick Winick, Vice President and General Manager, Automotive Refrigerants, Solstice Advanced Materials. "The Direct-to-YF retrofit concept has been developed over the last three years to help address the need for a more widely available refrigerant option for older R-134a vehicles. We have made this retrofit option easy for technicians to adopt. Independent technical evaluations and risk assessments have concluded that retrofit use is acceptable within the same assessment framework applied to new vehicle air conditioning systems. These conclusions are based on independent reports assessing retrofit performance and the use of R-1234yf in retrofit-suitable vehicle air conditioning systems.”

The launch comes as implementation of the European Union's F-Gas Regulation (2024/573) continues to drive the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants through a quota-based system. R-1234yf is fully compliant with the mobile air conditioning systems (MAC) Directive (2006/40/EC) for new passenger vehicle air conditioning systems and is supported by an established service infrastructure across the automotive aftermarket.

Solstice has an established aftermarket ecosystem across Europe that will make the required retrofit components available across its existing automotive aftermarket channels. This retrofit concept is intended for professional workshops and service providers and will be made available through the automotive aftermarket supply chain.

Workshops across Europe have been servicing both R-134a and R-1234yf vehicles for years and are already equipped with the necessary recovery, recycling and recharging (RRR) equipment for both refrigerants used in this process. The retrofit process builds on these existing service capabilities and established workshop practices.

Additional technical information on the retrofit concept and implementation process will be presented during the technical session "A Simple Guide to Repair and Retrofit Older R-134a Cars with R-1234yf " on 9 September 2026 at Automechanika Frankfurt 2026.

About Solstice Advanced Materials

Solstice Advanced Materials is a leading global specialty materials company that advances science for smarter outcomes. Solstice offers high-performance solutions that enable critical industries and applications, including refrigerants, semiconductor manufacturing, data center cooling, nuclear power, protective fibers, healthcare packaging, and more. Solstice is recognized for developing next-generation materials through some of the industry's most renowned brands such as Solstice®, Genetron^®, Aclar^®, Spectra^®, Fluka™, and Hydranal™. Partnering with over 3,000 customers across more than 120 countries and territories and supported by a robust portfolio of over 5,700 patents and pending applications, Solstice’s approximately 4,100 employees worldwide drive innovation in materials science.