Industry is a crucial component of the global economy, but it also has a significant impact on the environment.

The energy-intensive nature of many industrial activities as well as the nature of the industrial processes themselves means that they are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to meet climate change targets, industry must transition to low-carbon energy and feedstock sources and other means to radically reduce its emissions. 

In short:

• Industrial decarbonisation will require carbon capture and storage (CCS) for emissions where there are no other alternatives, or availability is problematic.  

• Hydrogen will be inevitable to decarbonise some industrial processes that cannot be electrified but will be scarce for the foreseeable future.  

Industry has a wide array of options at hand to reduce its emissions. Depending on the processes used, increased circularity, energy efficiency, a change of combustion fuel or feedstock, or electrification can be some of the viable options available, while most of the time a combination of these is most relevant.

The decarbonisation option of CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and then storing them permanently. This is particularly relevant for process emissions, which are not related to the type of combustible used and can only be significantly reduced by capturing and storing them. Such process emissions exist in cement and lime industries, for example.  

Another decarbonisation option is the use of hydrogen for industry. It can be used as a feedstock in a variety of industrial processes but can also serve as a fuel where direct electrification of an industrial process is not possible. Hydrogen releases no greenhouse gases when it is burned, but depending on how it is produced and transported, it can have varying levels of negative impacts on the climate.  

Many tools are available to industry to decarbonise. Ensuring the most energy-efficient and cost-effective options are chosen that consider wider system impacts is important to both decarbonise rapidly and to keep a competitive edge on the global market.