This document summarizes information about chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), their effects on the ozone layer, and international protocols to reduce CFC usage. It discusses that CFCs do not occur naturally and were widely used as refrigerants and propellants until their ozone-depleting effects were discovered. The Montreal Protocol was established in 1987 to set a schedule for reducing CFC usage to protect the ozone layer. Substitutes have been found for some CFC applications, and market responses are helping exceed the reductions proposed by the Montreal Protocol.