Why industry is hard to decarbonise

Industry accounts for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Part of it comes from the energy consumed; another, harder part comes from the process itself — calcining limestone for cement, for instance, releases CO₂ by chemistry, regardless of the fuel. Decarbonising industry is therefore not just about switching electricity supplier: it requires acting on several levels, in a precise order.

Lever 1: efficiency, always first

You only decarbonise well what you have first made lean. Energy efficiency reduces the amount of energy to supply, and so the size — and cost — of every lever that follows. It is the cheapest, no-regret step: do it before investing in low-carbon production.

Lever 2: electrifying the processes

Replacing a gas burner with electric equipment — high-temperature heat pump, electric furnace, electric boiler — eliminates direct emissions provided the electricity is low-carbon. It is the most mature lever for low and medium-temperature heat. Its brake: the cost of electricity against gas, and the power capacity to connect.

Lever 3: hydrogen and low-carbon molecules

Where very high temperature or chemistry demands a molecule, hydrogen takes over. But it must be “low-carbon”: produced by electrolysis with decarbonised electricity, not by steam reforming of natural gas. Count ~50–55 kWh of electricity per kg of H₂ by electrolysis — hence the need for abundant, decarbonised power. The ISO 19880 standard frames its use. Hydrogen targets steel, chemicals, fertilisers — not diffuse heating, where electrification is more efficient.

Lever 4: capturing CO₂ (CCUS)

For the irreducible process emissions — cement, lime — capture, use and storage of CO₂ (CCUS) remain. You capture CO₂ at the stack, then sequester or valorise it. It is the most expensive and least mature lever; reserve it for what cannot be avoided otherwise.

The framework that pushes: the price of carbon

This path is not just voluntary: it is economically forced. The European carbon market (EU ETS) puts a price on every tonne emitted — around €60 to €90/t CO₂ in recent years — and the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) extends it to imports. Many companies also set targets aligned with climate science (SBTi). Decarbonising thus becomes a competitiveness calculation as much as an environmental choice.