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Cement Europe  |  Policy Focus  |  Climate & CO₂ Strategy

Industrial Carbon Management

In brief 

Industrial carbon management covers the full range of technologies that capture, transport, use, and store CO₂ emissions from industrial and energy production, as well as those that remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere.

It encompasses three key pathways to reduce emissions: 

 

  • Carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) – capturing CO₂ and storing it safely underground. 
  • Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) – using captured CO₂ in construction materials, chemicals, or fuels. Concrete itself also absorbs and permanently stores CO₂ during its lifetime. 
  • CO₂ removal – directly capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere to achieve net negative emissions. 

Cement Europe supports the development of an EU Industrial Carbon Management Strategy to accelerate investment and deliver CO₂ savings as soon as possible. 

 

Our View 

For the cement industry, industrial carbon management is essential. A significant share of CO₂ emissions — known as process emissions — comes from the calcination of limestone during clinker production and cannot be avoided by conventional means. This makes carbon capture technologies indispensable for reaching climate neutrality. 

A supportive policy framework must therefore enable:

  • Deployment of CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure, connecting emission sources with users and storage sites across Europe.
  • Access to affordable, zero-carbon electricity, as decarbonising cement will require two to five times more electricity than today. Grid capacity and availability must keep pace with this demand.
  • Public financial support, especially in the early stages, to make large-scale investments economically viable.

Governments also have an important role as major purchasers of cement and concrete. Public procurement policies should help drive demand for low-carbon materials, setting clear conditions that reward climate performance and stimulate market transformation.

Industrial carbon management is not just a technological challenge, it is a cornerstone of Europe’s industrial and climate strategy, enabling both competitiveness and sustainability.

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