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A significant ramp up of actions is needed for the Clean Industrial Deal to avoid the 'déjà-vu' pitfall
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Brussels, 27 February 2025: The Clean Industrial Deal and the Action Plan for Affordable Energy presented yesterday by the European Commission fail to introduce concrete actions proportional to the urgency and scale of the crisis faced by the flat glass sector and other industries.
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“Without a significant ramp-up of actions to reduce energy costs in the short-term and reforms to provide effective and lasting protection against the risk of carbon leakage – be it through ETS mechanisms or the CBAM – we risk the déjà-vu scenario of a communication not triggering the desired impact, while industry continues to suffer irreversible damage.” said Bertrand Cazes, Secretary General of Glass for Europe.
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Of the initiatives presented on 26 February, many are recommendations, monitoring or guidance with no certainty of impact. Those that are legislative in nature, such as the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act, are often delayed and are unlikely to have a tangible impact for at least two years, which is inconsistent with the urgency of the situation.
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Over the last months, Glass for Europe has been alerting policy makers on the critical situation of the flat glass industry: demand at record low-levels, reduction of capacity, unsustainable electricity and gas prices and increased competition from third countries.
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At the European Industry Summit 2025, Davide Cappellino, Chairman of Glass for Europe, described this situation as “a perfect storm”, with the industry forced to simultaneously develop and adopt decarbonisation technologies that are neither mature nor yet economically viable.
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The Commission’s intention to mobilise 100€ billion to improve the business case for low-carbon manufacturing is therefore a step in the right direction. The Industrial Decarbonisation Bank must be targeted at hard-to-abate industries where electrification solutions are not yet mature.
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Recycling being one of the most prominent ways to reduce overall CO2 emissions from flat glass manufacturing, Glass for Europe looks forward to contributing to the Clean Industrial Dialogue on Circularity to support the preparation of the Circular Economy Act.
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The forthcoming Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act must be ambitious in boosting demand for low carbon products. Glass for Europe applauds that for the first time, mechanisms to support European-made products will be investigated.
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All remains to be done and without delay.
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“Now is the time for policymakers to step up. Glass for Europe stands ready to provide actionable recommendations. The European Union needs a competitive industry if industry is to succeed in its decarbonisation journey” concluded Bertrand Cazes.
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Adrien Carton, Sustainable Construction & Industrial Policy Manager
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Glass for Europe is the trade association for Europe’s flat glass sector. Flat glass is the material that goes into a variety of end products, primarily in windows and facades for buildings, windscreens and windows for automotive and transport as well as solar energy equipment, furniture and appliances. Glass for Europe brings together multinational firms and thousands of SMEs across Europe, to represent the entire building glass value-chain. It is composed of flat glass manufacturers, AGC Glass Europe, Guardian, NSG-Group, Saint-Gobain Glass, Şişecam and works in association with national partners gathering thousands of building glass processors and transformers all over Europe.
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