Heavy Industry’s Bumpy Path to a Low-Carbon Future

Heavy industry faces one of the hardest paths to net zero, yet momentum is starting to build. New decarbonization commitments reached nearly $15 billion by mid-2025. The largest chunk of investment is concentrated in the steel industry, where electric arc furnaces and hydrogen-ready technologies are already pushing down emissions. Other sectors, like aluminum, cement and plastics, are experimenting with recycled materials, electrified heat and bio-based feedstocks. Policy is also proving decisive, with Europe, Australia and Asia pushing carbon border tariffs, retrofit funds and industrial carbon markets. So is heavy industry finally turning a corner on its path to decarbonization? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Allen Tom Abraham, BloombergNEF’s head of sustainable materials, to walk through his team’s note “Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38051/view

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