Emissions from the industrial sector account for roughly 30% of global emissions and is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. Sweden has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, and the EU Commission and the U.S. no later than 2050. To meet these targets, industry actors must reduce emissions quickly. This transition requires transformative pathways that involve completely new processes in many industries, as well as an overhaul of the value chains from basic materials to end products and services.

Join us for a conversation on industrial innovation and decarbonization in the EU and U.S., with a focus on technical and policy pathways to achieve the industrial transition. The event is organized by the Embassy of Sweden in partnership with the Sweden-U.S. Green Transition Initiative, MistraCarbon Exit Research Program, and Resources for the Future. This event is part of the Embassy’s EU Presidency outreach program.

OPENING REMARKS Karin Olofsdotter, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States

David Livingston, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate

PANEL: Technical Pathways to Decarbonize the Basic Materials Industry (45 minutes)

Linda Andrén(Moderator), Executive Director of Sweden-U.S. Green Transition Initiative.

Ida Karlsson, MistraCarbon Exit, Chalmers, Sweden. The composition of materials in buildings and where emissions reductions can occur –Sweden and EU pathways.

Filip Johnsson, MistraCarbon Exit, Chalmers, Sweden. The future of carbon capture and storage –challenges and opportunitiesAndrés Clarens, University of Virginia. Technical innovations in high emitting industries, a U.S. perspective.Ben Kowing, Vice President, and Chief Technical Officer for SSAB Americas. Industry perspective on opportunities for innovation and barriers to implementation.

PANEL: Policy Pathways to Decarbonize the Basic Materials Industry (45 minutes)

Carolyn Fischer(Moderator), Research Manager for Sustainability and Infrastructure in the Development Research Group at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future. The role of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.Lars Zetterberg, MistraCarbon Exit, IVL, Sweden. Is the (revised) EU ETS fit for the challenges of the 2020s?Milan Elkerbout, MistraCarbon Exit, CEPS, Belgium. The role of CBAM and industrial policy.Dagmara Koska, Deputy Head of Global Issues & Innovation, EU Delegation to the USA. EU green deal industrial plan: implications for EU-U.S. cooperation on net-zero technologies.CONCLUDING REMARKSLinda Andrén, Executive Director of Sweden-U.S. Green Transition Initiative.