by Aspen Ford, Washington State Standard
March 24, 2026
Retail giants Amazon and Walmart are collectively facing over a million dollars in environmental fines from Washington state’s Department of Ecology for selling coolant products that contain potent greenhouse gases.
In 2021, the state Legislature passed a law restricting the sale of products containing hydrofluorocarbons, synthetic gases that can trap up to thousands of times more heat than carbon dioxide.
Over 170 countries, including the United States, have committed to phasing out the substances, which can show up in refrigeration and fire extinguisher systems and aerosol products.
The Department of Ecology issued the penalties last Thursday after finding the companies continued to sell motor vehicle air conditioning recharge cans containing a prohibited refrigerant called R-134a.
The penalties follow a years-long effort to get the companies to comply with state law.
Walmart
In November 2021, Ecology notified businesses of the state’s restriction on selling products containing a certain amount of hydrofluorocarbons.
In early 2022, the agency met with Walmart representatives to discuss the specific products banned for sale in Washington, according to the penalty notice.
By September that year, Walmart passed its first compliance check. State officials tried to buy a banned product online, but when entering a Washington address for delivery, the option was unavailable.
But in late 2023, that wasn’t the case. Ecology found that Walmart still restricted the sale of some banned recharge canisters, but not all. The agency notified Walmart of the issue, suggested ways to comply and told the retailer to stop advertising the banned products in Washington.
Walmart did not respond for months.
After another failed compliance check in May 2024, Ecology issued a warning letter. Walmart made efforts to comply by flagging listings that included specific keywords, but throughout the year and the next, Ecology found that it could still buy banned products on the retailer’s website.
As of January this year, Walmart continued to offer the prohibited items for sale in Washington.
Ecology fined the company $383,388 for selling 85 units of banned automotive refrigerants in 2024.
Amazon
Shortly after Ecology notified Amazon of the state’s ban on the sale of products containing hydrofluorocarbons in 2021, the company complied.
But in 2022, Ecology found two reviews for banned products on Amazon’s website, according to the penalty notice. The customers stated Washington didn’t allow the sale of the products, but one claimed they were still able to buy the air conditioner recharge cans.
Ecology emailed the company the steps it needed to follow to comply with state law.
In April 2024, Amazon failed a compliance check. After a months-long back-and-forth email chain, the retailer agreed to meet with Ecology to discuss compliance obligations, but the meeting was rescheduled because Amazon invited legal counsel without notifying Ecology.
Amazon later claimed its algorithm was to blame for the sale of banned products. Ecology suggested that Amazon expand keyword screening or manually review product webpages to identify restricted products, noting the list of banned products was not exhaustive.
Ecology found that within five months in 2024, Amazon sold 349 units of restricted products containing R-134a. The agency fined the retailer for $800,068.
“Phasing out hydrofluorocarbons is one of the most cost-effective actions we can take to address climate change,” said Joel Creswell, manager for Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction Program. “Industry is already shifting towards more climate-friendly refrigerants, and we need to make sure that there is a level playing field as we go through this transition.”
The two companies have 30 days to pay the penalties or submit an appeal to the state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.