SF₆-derived trends of stratospheric AoA from observations and model simulations disagree in sign. SF₆ experiences chemical degradation, which we explicitly integrate in a global climate model. In our simulations, the AoA trend changes sign when SF₆ sinks are considered; thus, the process has the potential to reconcile simulated with observed AoA trends. We show that the positive AoA trend is due to the SF₆ sinks themselves and provide a first approach for a correction to account for SF₆ loss.