Driving sustainability in industrial clusters

This is a really interesting white paper from Microsoft and Accenture driving sustainability in industrial clusters to help cut emissions and accelerate the drive to net-zero. Industrial clusters are geographic areas comprised of co-located companies that represent a single or multiple industries, such as refining, cement or steel.

With industry responsible for 30 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions, action is indeed urgent. So, to help accelerate innovation of low-carbon technologies across industry, the white paper identifies five key areas of focus: fuel switching, CCUS for industry, systemic efficiency initiatives (including digitalisation), advanced technologies, and product innovation.

Accenture has estimated that, based on EU figures, a combination of approaches could potentially reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 percent (from a 2019 base) by 2030.