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Practical insights to drive industry decarbonization in Europe

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Practical insights to drive industry decarbonization in Europe
By Mark Allington, Tom Lock, Renato Roldao, Jonathan Lonsdale, Yeen Chan, Laurent Petithuguenin, and Pawan Tiwari
Mark Allington
Vice President, Energy
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Tom Lock
Senior Managing Consultant and Senior Expert, Energy-Related Products Policy
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The role of energy storage in the decarbonization of industry
Renato Roldao
Managing Director, ICF China; Vice President, Green Transition for China and East Asia; Deputy Director, ICF Climate Center
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How carbon pricing can reduce greenhouse gas emissions Investing in Europe's COVID-19 recovery for the next generation
Jonathan Lonsdale
Senior Director, Sustainable Finance
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Laurent Petithuguenin
Managing Consultant, Sustainability
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Securing raw material supply is critical to the green transition  The role of energy storage in the decarbonization of industry

Industrial decarbonisation is full of complex challenges and innovative solutions that are within reach. Those solutions, when deployed at a large scale, will contribute strongly to a net zero emissions future.

Currently, industry produces around 20% of European Union (EU) emissions. This means that achieving the EU goal of net zero emissions by 2050 will not be possible without decarbonising industry, which includes the production of metals and minerals, chemicals, food and drink, paper and pulp, ceramics, glass, oil refineries, and manufacturing.

Within the EU and UK, the following six sectors account (on average over 2010 – 2021) for >78% of total industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) annual emissions, and 96% of non-fuel combustion-related GHG annual emissions.

Explore insights on how to drive low-emission transitions and build resilience against the effects of climate change.
Go to Climate Center
hard to abate sectors graph

A range of technologies are available for decarbonisation, with their relevance depending on the sector, as well as significant variations in efficacy, cost, technology maturity, and acceptability to site operators.

This report focuses on pathways to industrial decarbonisation at a macro level, before looking in detail at technologies for industrial decarbonisation on a sector-by-sector basis.

Meet the authors
  1. Mark Allington, Vice President, Energy

    Mark has more than 30 years of experience working as a management consultant on UK and international projects that shape the regulatory environment for sustainable energy. View bio

  2. Tom Lock, Senior Managing Consultant and Senior Expert, Energy-Related Products Policy

    Tom has more than 15 years of experience managing and delivering energy-related product policy programs for public and private sector clients spanning the United Kingdom, Europe, and internationally. View bio

  3. Renato Roldao, Managing Director, ICF China; Vice President, Green Transition for China and East Asia; Deputy Director, ICF Climate Center

    Renato is a climate, energy, and environment expert with nearly 20 years of experience in international climate policy and carbon markets.  View bio

  4. Jonathan Lonsdale, Senior Director, Sustainable Finance

    Jonathan drives sustainable finance into existing and emerging European climate-neutral value chains, with more than 25 years of experience developing European public policy in environment, energy, and climate change. View bio

  5. Yeen Chan, Consulting Director, Energy

    Yeen provides solutions for the public and private sectors, with more than 10 years of experience developing and delivering services for the energy industry. View bio

  6. Laurent Petithuguenin, Managing Consultant, Sustainability

    Laurent is a sustainability expert with more than 10 years of work experience in the energy sector focusing on battery technology. View bio

  7. Pawan Tiwari, Director, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change
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