In December 2020, European leaders agreed to tighten the 2030 climate target. Emissions are now to be at least 55% lower by 2030 than in 1990. By the middle of the century, the EU economy is to be climate neutral.

The necessary transformation also affects the energy-intensive primary industries. In order for them to continue to exist in a climate-neutral economy – with a then significantly higher CO2 price – drastic innovation steps and massive investments in transformative technologies as well as in the necessary infrastructure are required. Examples include hydrogen-based direct reduction in the steel industry or Oxifuel processes with subsequent CO₂ capture in cement production.

In view of the reinvestment cycles in the industries concerned, these investments will be necessary in the coming years. On the other hand, however, these investments also represent an opportunity for European industry to build up knowledge and expertise in key future markets. The project examined the use of climate protection contracts for industrial transformation. Input papers were specifically tailored to the steel, cement and chemical sectors.

The contents of these papers were discussed with the industry in an intensive dialog process in the form of webinars and workshops. Critical comments have been incorporated into the final design of the input papers. A total of 6 online events took place between December 2020 and spring 2021:

• 9 December 2020; Webinar for the steel industry
• 16 December 2020; Workshop for the steel industry
• 12 January 2021; Webinar for the cement industry
• 18 January 2021; Workshop for the cement industry
• 26 January 2021; Webinar for the chemical industry
• 3 February 2021; Workshop for the chemical industry