- 31 Oct 2025
The EU Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE) sectoral workshops are designed to showcase and gather information on innovative techniques with the aim to help fast-track the uptake of the most promising innovative techniques in order to accelerate the transition towards a greener and more competitive industry, starting with energy-intensive sectors. The first INCITE sectoral workshop took place in May 2025 and was dedicated to the Iron and Steel sector. This time, the workshop focused on the Cement, Lime and Magnesia industry sectors.
Organised by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, under the leadership of the INCITE team, the sectoral workshop dedicated to innovative techniques in the Cement, Lime and Magnesia (CLM) sectors took place in Seville, Spain and online on 30 and 31 October 2025, bringing together around 300 participants, including 70 attending in person. The event convened industry, research and technology organisations, Member State competent authorities, environmental NGOs, academia and European Commission and Agencies representatives to discuss pathways toward decarbonisation, pollution control, circularity and resource efficiency across CLM industries. The agenda of this first INCITE CLM workshop featured presentations on key projects and cutting-edge technologies that can help the CLM sectors increase their competitiveness and reduce their environmental impact.
On the first day, the workshop was opened by Caroline Lambert (Head of Unit, DG JRC B.5. Circular Economy and Sustainable industry, in Seville). She highlighted the crucial role of the cement, lime and magnesium oxide sectors in Europe, underscoring their importance for society. She stressed the need for investment to overcome current challenges like high energy prices, expressing optimism about the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders. Finally, Caroline highlighted that the CLM workshop aims to showcase technologies and address necessary conditions for their growth, focusing on discussions about funding, regulations, and innovation to support industry transformation.
The key objectives of the workshop were introduced by the INCITE team, with a welcome presentation from Eric Aries the event chair (Policy Officer and INCITE project leader, JRC B.5. Circular Economy and Sustainable industry, in Seville), and Nicolas Bellomo, (Policy Officer, JRC B.5. Circular Economy and Sustainable industry, in Seville).
The policy context was introduced by Oscar Nieto Sanz (Policy Officer, DG GROW H.1. Construction, based in Brussels) highlighting the standards for construction materials, specifically material passports, which can enhance innovation within these sectors.
Keir Mcandrew (Policy Officer at DG ENV B.2. Industrial Emissions and Safety, based in Brussels) presented elements of the revised Industrial Emissions Directive under which INCITE was created, and the expected CLM Best Available Technique Reference document (BREF) revision tentatively for 2027 and also highlighted permitting in First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) installations which includes a workstream dedicated to cement plants using oxyfuel combustion.
Antonio Ferrandez Garcia (Policy Officer at DG RTD E.3. Industrial Transformation, based in Brussels) presented new funding opportunities for innovation in energy-intensive industries, in particular future calls under the Horizon Europe Clean Industrial Deal horizontal call and Innovation Fund (Heat Decarbonisation).
Over two days, the workshop featured 26 technical presentations on the three sectors – Cement, Lime and Magnesia - covering topics ranging from process electrification and alternative fuels to raw material substitution, carbon capture and utilisation and storage (CCUS), and the use of waste and by-products:
- Carbon capture and utilisation and storage (CCUS) — showcasing pilot and commercial projects such as oxyfuel combustion, amine solvent absorption or cryogenic captures.
- Alternative materials and processes — exploring of the industrial waste, natural clay and innovative binders in cement formulations to reduce process emissions and improve material efficiency.
- Circularity — discussing opportunities to reuse construction wastes in the production of new cements.
Interactive discussions allowed participants to exchange technical knowledge, identify research priorities and highlight the barriers that currently limit the large-scale deployment of promising innovations.
The content and conclusions of the workshop will feed into the INCITE’s annual report “Technical Report on Innovative Techniques (TRIT)”, which will be released in the first quarter of 2026 and will cover key innovative technologies for the transformation of energy-intensive industries, prioritising innovation in the Iron and Steel and Cement, Lime and Magnesia sectors.
This report (TRIT) will synthesise the latest evidence gathered through the sectoral workshops and other sources, providing a comprehensive overview of innovative techniques, their maturity levels, environmental performance and cross-media effects.
Building on the success of INCITE’s previous workshop on the Iron and Steel industry, the CLM event reaffirmed the Centre’s role as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaborative innovation. Through the active participation of stakeholders across Europe, the workshop advanced the understanding of how innovative techniques can help the CLM sectors reduce emissions, enhance competitiveness and achieve climate neutrality.
The INCITE team thanks all participants for their commitment and efforts to a transition to a more competitive and sustainable EU industry.
More information and the agenda of the CLM workshop are available at: INCITE's Sectoral Workshop dedicated to Innovative techniques in the Cement, Lime and Magnesium oxide (CLM) sectors | INCITE