As a sector with more than 1.200 installations under the EU ETS, representing 10% of industrial installations under the cap-and-trade system but accounting for less than 1% of the total GHG emissions under the ETS, Cerame-Unie is well positioned to assess the forthcoming Commission proposal to establish an EU-wide Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM).
The European ceramic industry is largely composed of highly innovative and diversified industrial SMEs, all in all committed towards climate neutrality for 2050, with severe exposure to global competition from third countries with lower climate ambitions and little or no carbon constraints.
Faced both with the high costs required to speed-up the development of new and breakthrough technologies in decarbonisation, and with the negative impact of COVID-19 crisis on economic performance and on investments, the European ceramic industry highlights the unfeasibility of carbon border adjustments on highly disaggregated sectors, mostly composed of SMEs and with a diversified set of products and a strong reliance on exports.
For the complete analysis of the CU position and recommendations for a CBAM proposal, please consult the following documents: