Recommendations for the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act

The Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP) submitted its response to EU call for evidence on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act (IDAA). Drawing on the insights of the industrial carbon management community, our recommendations focus on how the IDAA can help advance lead markets for low-carbon industrial production in Europe in the coming years.

Key recommendations

Establish comprehensive plans for lead markets

Lead markets are essential to ensure industries can decarbonise in Europe. However, each sector is different, with specific value chains.

Therefore, sector-specific plans that consider the specificities of upstream production and downstream demand are needed to ensure such markets are effective. Public and private initiatives are required to enhance market transparency and impact.

Set clear standards for defining low-carbon products

To drive decarbonisation and market transparency, lead markets require: clear EU low-carbon product standards, harmonised greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, progressive thresholds, performance-based approaches, and updated, interoperable systems.

Advancing government-led procurement and policy

For clean industrial production in Europe to succeed, governments must lead by example. Mandatory green criteria, climate-aligned contracts, and quotas for low-carbon materials need to be established alongside financial sector-specific supports to kickstart lead markets.

Driving downstream demand-side obligations

In some sectors, demand-side obligations may be needed to drive low-carbon product markets by setting quantitative targets for public and private buyers.

These can offer a cost-effective path to driving demand while remaining consistent with existing EU regulatory precedent and existing frameworks.

Accelerating and aligning industrial decarbonisation timelines

Industrial production needs CO₂ infrastructures to meet the necessary demand. The IDAA should prioritise key projects/clusters, streamline permitting, and explore risk-sharing mechanisms to accelerate deployment and meet climate goals.

ZEP’s full feedback is also available on the European Commission’s public consultation portal.