{"id":13636,"date":"2026-07-21T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/?p=13636"},"modified":"2026-07-21T22:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T20:20:20","slug":"decarbonation-pour-lindustrie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/decarbonation-pour-lindustrie\/","title":{"rendered":"Decarbonisation for industry: concrete levers for heavy industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Decarbonisation for industry<\/strong> rests on four families of levers: energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon energy vectors (hydrogen, biomass) and CO\u2082 capture\/storage.<\/li>\n<li>Steelmaking, cement, chemicals and the manufacture of non-metallic minerals account for more than 72 % of the emissions of French manufacturing industry.<\/li>\n<li>The<strong>efficacit\u00e9 \u00e9nerg\u00e9tique<\/strong> remains the quickest lever to activate, with a return on investment often under 3 years.<\/li>\n<li>Concrete projects already exist: an electric furnace at ArcelorMittal in Dunkirk, hydrogen in cement production at Holcim, activated clays to reduce the carbon footprint of cement.<\/li>\n<li>5.6 billion euros are being mobilised via France 2030 to support this transition, across all sectors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"pourquoi-la-d-carbonation-de-l-industrie-lourde-est-un-sujet\">Why decarbonisation for heavy industry is an urgent issue<\/h2>\n<p>Manufacturing industry and construction account for a disproportionate share of French greenhouse gas emissions. According to the government's sector roadmaps, more than <strong>72 % of industrial emissions<\/strong> proviennent de trois familles d&#8217;activit\u00e9s : la m\u00e9tallurgie, la chimie et la fabrication de min\u00e9raux non m\u00e9talliques (ciment, chaux, verre).<\/p>\n<p>Les objectifs de r\u00e9duction fix\u00e9s \u00e0 horizon 2030 (par rapport \u00e0 2015) sont ambitieux et diff\u00e9renci\u00e9s par secteur :<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chemicals<\/strong> : -26 %<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cement<\/strong> : -24 %<\/li>\n<li><strong>Metallurgy<\/strong> : -31 %<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The overall target for 2050 is a reduction of <strong>80 % of the emissions<\/strong> of heavy industry. To achieve this, the national strategy combines three families of levers: continuous progress (around 40 % of the way), technological breakthrough (40 %) and sufficiency (20 %).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What this means in concrete terms for an industrial site:<\/strong> no single lever is enough. Decarbonisation is built like a portfolio of actions, prioritised by cost and by implementation time.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"les-quatre-leviers-de-d-carbonation-secteur-par-secteur\">The four decarbonisation levers, sector by sector<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"1-l-efficacit-nerg-tique-le-levier-le-plus-rapide\">1. Energy efficiency: the quickest lever<\/h3>\n<p>It is often the first project to activate, as its return on investment is generally under 3 years:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recovery of waste heat from furnaces and thermal processes.<\/li>\n<li>Optimisation of utilities (compressed air, steam, cooling networks).<\/li>\n<li>Improvement of the thermal insulation of industrial equipment and buildings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"2-l-lectrification-des-proc-d-s\">2. Electrification of processes<\/h3>\n<p>Recognised as the leading decarbonisation lever at national level, with a reduction target of 8 Mt of CO\u2082 for French industry by 2030:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Steelmaking<\/strong> : replacing coal-fired blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces (EAF).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chemicals and industrial processes<\/strong> : electrification of boilers and thermal processes where the technology allows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"3-les-vecteurs-bas-carbone-hydrog-ne-et-biomasse\">3. Low-carbon energy vectors: hydrogen and biomass<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Renewable hydrogen<\/strong> : used for direct reduction of iron ore (steelmaking) or as a fuel in cement plants.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Biomass and alternative fuels<\/strong> : industrial waste, agricultural residues and used tyres as substitutes for fossil fuel in cement kilns.<\/li>\n<li>A new public instrument dedicated to hydrogen is set to mobilise 4 billion euros over three waves of calls for tenders, with an auction mechanism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"4-le-captage-stockage-et-utilisation-du-carbone-ccs-ccu\">4. Carbon capture, storage and utilisation (CCS\/CCU)<\/h3>\n<p>A breakthrough technology, reserved for sites whose emissions are the hardest to reduce by other means (cement, heavy chemicals), with pilot projects already under way in France.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cas-concrets-multi-secteurs-ce-qui-se-fait-d-j\">Concrete cases across sectors: what is already being done<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"sid-rurgie-arcelormittal-dunkerque\">Steelmaking: ArcelorMittal Dunkirk<\/h3>\n<p>The electric furnace (EAF) project combined with a direct reduced iron (DRI) unit represents a total investment of 1.8 billion euros, supported to the tune of 850 million euros by ADEME. The objective: to produce steel with three times less CO\u2082 per tonne than the traditional blast furnace route, and to reduce the group's CO\u2082 emissions in France by 35 % by 2030.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"cimenterie-holcim-et-l-hydrog-ne\">Cement: Holcim and hydrogen<\/h3>\n<p>\u00c0 La Malle (Bouches-du-Rh\u00f4ne), Holcim a mis en \u0153uvre en 2023 une premi\u00e8re mondiale : l&#8217;utilisation d&#8217;hydrog\u00e8ne pour se passer compl\u00e8tement de combustibles fossiles sur une ligne de cuisson. Sur d&#8217;autres sites, le taux de substitution thermique par des combustibles alternatifs (biomasse, d\u00e9chets) d\u00e9passe d\u00e9j\u00e0 90 %, avec un objectif de 100 % \u00e0 horizon 2050.<\/p>\n<p>Autre levier : les <strong>activated clays<\/strong>, used at Saint-Pierre-la-Cour (Mayenne), which reduce the carbon weight of cements by around 30 %, combined with a CO\u2082 capture project (Capt4Climate) aiming to avoid 900,000 tonnes of CO\u2082 per year.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"chimie-hydrog-ne-et-recyclage-chimique\">Chemicals: hydrogen and chemical recycling<\/h3>\n<p>The sector roadmaps identify hydrogen produced by electrolysis and chemical recycling as the two major technological breakthrough levers for reducing the carbon footprint of heavy chemical processes.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"agroalimentaire-efficacit-nerg-tique-et-biomasse\">Food industry: energy efficiency and biomass<\/h3>\n<p>Less emissions-intensive than steel or cement, the food industry mainly draws on energy efficiency (heat recovery from cooking, drying and pasteurisation processes) and local biomass for its industrial heat needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What these cases have in common:<\/strong> each site first activated the low-cost, high-ROI levers (energy efficiency) before investing in more capital-intensive breakthrough technologies (hydrogen, CCS).<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"l-conomie-circulaire-comme-levier-de-d-carbonation\">The circular economy as a decarbonisation lever<\/h2>\n<p>The circular economy is not a subject separate from decarbonisation: it is an integral part of it, reducing demand for virgin raw materials, which are themselves energy-intensive to produce.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Steel recycling<\/strong> : the electric route, fed with recycled scrap, emits significantly less CO\u2082 than the blast furnace route using virgin ore.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Substitute fuels in cement production<\/strong> : recovering industrial waste or biomass in place of a fossil fuel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecodesign<\/strong> : reducing the quantities of raw material needed per product manufactured, without compromising performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"le-financement-de-la-d-carbonation-industrielle-en-france\">Financing decarbonisation for industry in France<\/h2>\n<p>The France 2030 plan devotes <strong>5.6 billion euros<\/strong> to the decarbonisation of industry, divided into three envelopes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>4 billion euros<\/strong> for the deep decarbonisation of the highest-emitting sites (steel, heavy chemicals, cement).<\/li>\n<li><strong>1 billion euros<\/strong> for mature solutions: energy efficiency, low-carbon heat production.<\/li>\n<li><strong>600 million euros<\/strong> for innovation and breakthrough technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For SMEs, the <strong>DECARB-FLASH<\/strong> scheme specifically targets rapid decarbonisation projects, with investment amounts between \u20ac100,000 and 3 million euros.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"par-o-commencer-un-projet-de-d-carbonation-industrielle\">Where to start a decarbonisation project for industry?<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Carry out an energy and carbon assessment of the site<\/strong> to prioritise emission sources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prioritise the levers whose <a href=\"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/how-to-assess-your-projects-roi-return-on-investment\/\">ROI<\/a> rapide<\/strong> (energy efficiency, heat recovery) before breakthrough investments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Examine the available financing schemes<\/strong> (France 2030, DECARB-FLASH, regional aid) according to the sector and size of the company.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sequence the investments<\/strong> over several years rather than aiming for total immediate transformation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Measure and document the results<\/strong> to adjust the trajectory and meet customers' growing requirements on carbon footprint.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"sxe-blog-cta\" style=\"margin:36px 0;text-align:center;\"><a href=\"\/en\/decarbonation-industrie\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:14px 26px;background:#3DA6E0;color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;border-radius:99px;text-decoration:none;box-shadow:0 6px 18px -6px rgba(61,166,224,.5);\">Launch your decarbonisation plan. Contact our experts \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"faq-d-carbonation-industrielle\">FAQ &#8211; D\u00e9carbonation industrielle<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Which sectors are most affected by industrial decarbonisation?<\/strong> Steel, cement and chemicals account for more than 72 % of the emissions of French manufacturing industry, but all sectors, including the food industry, face growing regulatory obligations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the most cost-effective decarbonisation lever in the short term?<\/strong> Energy efficiency, with a return on investment generally under 3 years, ahead of more capital-intensive levers such as hydrogen or carbon capture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is industrial decarbonisation financed by the French state in 2026?<\/strong> Yes, notably via France 2030 (5.6 billion euros dedicated), the DECARB-FLASH scheme for rapid projects, and the green industry tax credit (C3IV) for certain sectors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How long does an industrial decarbonisation project take?<\/strong> Energy efficiency projects can deliver results within a few months. Technological breakthrough projects (electric furnace, hydrogen) are rolled out over several years, like the ArcelorMittal Dunkirk project planned for 2029.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Does the circular economy really reduce industrial emissions?<\/strong> Yes: recycling steel via the electric route or substituting fossil fuels with recovered waste directly reduces demand for energy and virgin raw materials, two major sources of emissions.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sources\">Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.info.gouv.fr\/actualite\/le-gouvernement-en-soutien-de-la-decarbonation-de-l-industrie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Le gouvernement en soutien de la d\u00e9carbonation de l&#8217;industrie &#8211; info.gouv.fr<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/agirpourlatransition.ademe.fr\/entreprises\/conseils\/industrie\/decarbonation\/plans-transition-sectoriels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plans de transition sectoriels &#8211; ADEME<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theshiftproject.org\/thematiques\/industrie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D\u00e9carboner l&#8217;industrie &#8211; The Shift Project<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/france.arcelormittal.com\/actualites\/arcelormittal-confirme-la-construction-d-un-four-electrique-a-dunkerque\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ArcelorMittal confirms the construction of an electric furnace in Dunkirk<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.holcim.ch\/fr\/la-cimenterie-sans-petrole-devient-realite-eclepens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">La cimenterie sans p\u00e9trole devient r\u00e9alit\u00e9 &#8211; Holcim<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"hub-cta\" href=\"\/en\/industry-4-0\/\"><strong>Explore our Industry 4.0 hub<\/strong> \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"hub-cta\" href=\"\/en\/digital-transformation\/\"><strong>Discover our Digital Transformation services<\/strong> \u2192<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>D\u00e9couvrez les 4 leviers de d\u00e9carbonation pour l&#8217;industrie lourde : efficacit\u00e9 \u00e9nerg\u00e9tique, \u00e9lectrification, hydrog\u00e8ne, CCS. Cas sectoriels et ROI.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13654,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[84],"tags":[158,157,151,153,155,154,152,156],"class_list":["post-13636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transformation-digitale","tag-chimie","tag-cimenterie","tag-decarbonation","tag-efficacite-energetique","tag-electrification","tag-hydrogene-vert","tag-industrie-lourde","tag-siderurgie"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Decarbonation-pour-lindustrie.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13636"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14002,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13636\/revisions\/14002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sxe-consulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}