The European Commission published in November 2018 its strategic vision for long-term emission reductions, “A Clean Planet for All”, where it strongly endorsed a net-zero vision for Europe by 2050.

The European Climate Foundation’s project “Industrial Transformation 2050,” as a part of its Net-Zero 2050 Initiative has set out to develop a feasible vision for a competitive heavy industry sector in a net zero economy.

The first report "Pathways to Net-Zero Emissions from EU Heavy Industry", conducted by Material Economics, shows that a net-zero heavy industry is technically feasible and that the question is no longer about whether the industry should go for climate neutrality but how it gets there. It outlines multiple paths to truly deep emissions reductions that can make Europe less dependent on imported fossil fuels and more driven by its domestic resources. Such pathways will also have a little cost to the overall economy as well as for the end-consumer. However, if not supported by the right policy framework, the transition can be particularly challenging for the industry itself, which needs to redirect its investments onto a net zero pathway.

The second report "Towards an Industrial Strategy for a Climate Neutral Europe", authored by the Institute for European Studies at the VUB, picks up on these challenges. It proposes specific policy solutions as part of a comprehensive industry climate policy strategy for of a competitive, net-zero and circular heavy industry. The suggested policy options range from accelerating R&D in low-carbon solutions, incentivising and scaling up investments, to enabling a fully circular economy, safe-guarding the competitiveness of low-carbon solutions as well as facilitating sector coupling and supporting infrastructure. All these elements and more will be debated at the conference.

Confirmed speakers

• Gwenole Cozigou, Director, Industrial Transformation and Advanced Value Chains, DG Grow, European Commission
• Martin Pei, CTO, SSAB
• Per Klevnäs, Partner, Material Economics
• Tomas Wyns, Researcher, Institute for European Studies, VUB
• Manon Dufour, Head of Brussels Office, E3G
• Erika Bellman, Senior Advisor Climate & Energy, WWF Deutschland
• Philipp Niessen, Innovation & Industry Director, European Climate Foundation