Decarbonization strategies in manufacturing industries
Since January 2023, all companies with more than 500 employees have been required to carry out a carbon footprint that includes indirect emissions.
France's manufacturing industries alone generate almost 20% of the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making a significant contribution to the secondary sector's CO2 emissions.
For these companies, this assessment is therefore an opportunity to accurately evaluate their carbon footprint and implement appropriate reduction strategies that will guarantee their competitiveness and productivity.
1.4. Carbon dioxide capture and storage
2. The GHG balance: a first step towards an optimal transition
Goals to achieve.
According to the national low-carbon strategy (SNBC), the aim is to reduce industrial GHG emissions in France by 35% by 2030, and 81% by 2050, compared with 2015 figures. In recent decades, technical progress and deindustrialization policies have reduced emissions from French industry. They have fallen from 139.3 MtCO2e in 1990 to 76.3 MtCO2e in 2019, a drop of 45%. Despite these encouraging figures, industry is the third largest emitting sector in France, and its decarbonization remains a priority for the government and European institutions.
Through the France 2030 initiative, the French government has invested 5.6 billion euros in the decarbonization of French industry, including 1 billion euros dedicated to more mature decarbonization solutions, such as energy efficiency initiatives and the use of low-carbon heat.
On the other hand, 4 billion euros have been earmarked for deep decarbonization, long-term investments in costly but essential technological transitions to achieve carbon neutrality.
Industrial companies need to combine short-term solutions with long-term strategies to optimize decarbonization. Four technologies are emerging, heralding the future of industrial energy in France and around the world.
🌳Biomass
Biomass, the main source of renewable energy in France today, refers to all organic matter that can become a source of energy.
In an industrial context, biomass is used as an alternative to fossil fuels for boilers and generators.
For the chemical and food industries, which are particularly dependent on fossil fuels for their heating processes, biomass offers a low-carbon alternative.
While this energy source requires initial investment to adapt existing installations, according to France Relance, rising fossil fuel prices should encourage its widespread use.
⚡ Electrification
Electrification means replacing fossil fuel-based engines and boilers with electrical components, and using electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro or nuclear power.
For heating, the installation of electric furnaces is a good decarbonization strategy for processes requiring temperatures below 11,000 degrees C°.
According to a study on the potential of electrification of industrial processes, it could reduce direct CO2 emissions from French industry by up to 21% by 2035.
💧 Low-carbon hydrogen
In France, industry is by far the largest consumer of hydrogen. There are five types of hydrogen production:
🌑 Grey hydrogen: produced from natural gas, but emitting carbon dioxide during production.
⚫ B lack or brown hydrogen: produced from fossil fuels using processes that emit high levels of greenhouse gases, accounts for 95% of hydrogen production today.
🔵 Blue hydrogen: similar to gray hydrogen, but with capture and storage of the carbon dioxide emitted during production.
🟢Green hydrogen: produced by electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable sources, with no carbon dioxide emissions. Hydrogen is then said to be "decarbonated" because neither its production nor its use emits CO2.
🔵Turquoise hydrogen: also produced by electrolysis, but with nuclear-generated electricity.
To support the decarbonization of hydrogen in industry, France has set a target of 6.5 GW of electrolysers installed by 2030.
💭 Carbon dioxide capture and storage
Certain data from the Simplified Climate Report are made accessible to the public, reinforcing corporate transparency. This includes all simplified balance sheet results, as well as declared information such as company name and number of employees, with the exception of the contact details of those responsible for monitoring simplified balance sheets.
On the other hand, companies with over 500 employees, already subject to the obligation to draw up a greenhouse gas balance sheet in accordance with Article L 229-25 of the Environment Code, are exempt from this new requirement.
The GHG balance sheet: a first step towards an optimal transition
All these strategies need to be studied by companies, but also by their suppliers, to reduce their carbon footprint. As in the construction sector, where building materials are now taken into account when calculating carbon footprints.
Technological advances linked to decarbonization make GHG assessments more essential than ever to help companies maintain their competitiveness and support their service providers in this ecological transition.
ADEME recommends that you enlist the help of a consultancy or engineering firm to carry out an in-depth carbon assessment, which will enable you to build a long-term strategy tailored to the needs and resources of each company.
