The Quiet Revolution in Industrial Decarbonization

While climate disasters dominate the news, real progress in cutting emissions across industries often goes unnoticed.

The Big Five—manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and infrastructure—are responsible for the largest share of emissions but are now adopting clean technologies at scale.

The Paris Agreement (2015) set ambitious emissions targets, but success depended on private investment to scale innovations affordably. A decade later, proven climate technologies are being deployed, offering scalable solutions to decarbonize essential industries.

• Manufacturing: What goes around comes around

Manufacturing accounts for 29% of global emissions, with cement alone responsible for 8% of global CO₂. For decades, it followed a linear ‘use and discard’ model, consuming 100 billion tonnes of raw materials, but reusing less than 9%. Circular manufacturing, such as EV battery recycling, can cut emissions by up to 70%, reducing dependence on scarce metals while making production more sustainable and cost-effective.

Batteries are the most expensive EV component, making recycling and domestic production both economically and environmentally essential. Metals like nickel, manganese, and cobalt are costly to procure, but Renault estimates that 50–70% of cars could eventually be recycled. Lead-acid batteries, widely used in transport and industry, pose environmental risks if improperly disposed of, but recycling can recover 99% of lead, reducing contamination and emissions. As EV adoption grows, lithium-ion battery recycling will become a key pillar of the circular economy.

• Agriculture: Miracle Growth Compound

Agricultural innovation is cutting emissions through microbial fertilizers that use 1,000 times less water and emit less than 1% of conventional alternatives. Biochar, a centuries-old soil enhancer, is regaining attention for its role in carbon storage and soil enrichment.

Amazonian farmers have used biochar for centuries, burning crops and mixing the residue into soil to boost fertility. Studies show it reduces nutrient loss, as seen in Colombian farms and U.S. agricultural trials. Produced through pyrolysis, biochar locks in carbon and reduces methane and nitrous oxide emissions, making it a scalable climate solution.

• Electricity Generation: Plant Power

Biochar production also creates syngas, a carbon-negative fuel that can replace fossil fuels in industrial facilities. Electricity generation accounts for 29% of global emissions, as one-third of the world’s energy still comes from fossil fuels. With global energy demand expected to triple by 2050, moving away from fossil fuels remains a challenge.

Using agricultural waste like corn stover and timber offcuts for biochar avoids displacing food production while providing income for farmers. Unlike traditional biomass burning, biochar locks in carbon, cutting emissions while improving air quality in agrarian economies.

• Low Carbon Infrastructure: The Road to Redemption

The EU produces 15 million tonnes of bitumen annually, with 90% of roads relying on asphalt bound by bitumen, a by-product of oil refining. However, bio-bitumen, made from lignin and organic waste, offers a more sustainable alternative.

Holland has tested bio-bitumen roads for four years, while India has built 60,000 miles of them. Ghana is turning plastic waste into pavement blocks, and the UK’s Aston University has developed bitumen from household waste through pyrolysis. Recycling also plays a role, as rejuvenating aged asphalt with recycled tires and plastics creates a closed-loop system that cuts emissions. UK-based MacRebur estimates that replacing one ton of bitumen with recycled plastic saves an equivalent ton of CO₂ emissions.

• Transportation: plastic fantastic

Transportation contributes 15% of global emissions, and while EVs are reshaping the sector, other areas remain ripe for decarbonization. Over a billion tires are discarded annually, often ending up in landfills, roads, or cement kilns, adding to waste and emissions.

Tyre pyrolysis breaks down shredded tires into carbon black, hydrocarbon gases, and Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO), creating a closed-loop system. Carbon black is in high demand for new tire production, while TPO can replace conventional oil as a biofuel. However, EV adoption is slower than expected, and shipping—consuming 5 million barrels of oil daily—remains difficult to decarbonize. Until cleaner maritime fuels become viable, the best solutions include larger, more efficient ships and high-quality low-carbon fuels. In the meantime, tyre recycling offers an immediate way to cut waste and emissions.