Decarbonization and competitiveness: shaping tomorrow’s industrial landscape

• Achieving net-zero emissions requires carbon capture, technological innovation, and a strong public-private collaboration.

Decarbonization and global competitiveness are among today’s key industrial challenges. At the XIV Funseam Symposium, we shared our perspective on how to tackle both, underlining the urgent need to strengthen public-private collaboration to accelerate the industrial transition.

Our CEO, Marcos Cela, emphasized that one of the defining challenges of this decade is decarbonizing industries with process-related CO₂ emissions that are impossible to abate. At Molins, we are taking action every day across our products, manufacturing processes, energy use, and transport solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions. Innovation, circularity, and efficiency are already delivering significant progress, but achieving net-zero emissions also requires deploying carbon capture technologies to manage emissions that cannot be addressed through these levers alone.

He also highlighted that scaling these solutions demands a stable regulatory framework, streamlined permitting, appropriate infrastructure, and, above all, greater investment and engagement from public institutions. Mobilizing resources and fostering collaboration between government, industry, and energy companies is crucial to ensure both the feasibility and competitiveness of industrial decarbonization projects.

MOSUSOL NetCO₂: capturing one million tons of CO₂ per year

As part of our commitment to decarbonization, we are participating in the MOSUSOL NetCO₂ Project, developed alongside Enagás. This comprehensive initiative integrates carbon capture, transport, utilization, and storage (CCUS) with the aim of decarbonizing industries where emissions are difficult to abate, with a particular focus on cement production.

The project is expected to capture one million tons of CO₂ annually at our Sant Vicenç dels Horts (Barcelona) plant, including the biogenic fraction. The captured CO₂ will be transported via pipeline for storage or potential use in producing green fuels. With an estimated investment of €590 million, MOSUSOL NetCO₂ not only contributes to sustainability and climate action but also strengthens industrial competitiveness and protects employment against imports produced under different regulatory standards.

Competitiveness in an uncertain global landscape

Our Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Carlos Martínez, took part in the panel “Business Decisions in Global Markets,” discussing the challenges companies face in an increasingly uncertain economic, geopolitical, and regulatory environment.

European competitiveness depends both on how companies perform and on how countries position themselves. Access to infrastructure, stable regulations, and competitive energy are essential to attract industrial investment. In this context, circularity, industrialized construction, and lower-carbon products are key levers for differentiation. The viability of carbon capture initiatives—including infrastructure, permitting, storage, and strategic partnerships—must be considered from the earliest stages of any growth or acquisition decision in the cement sector.

An integrated vision: sustainability and competitiveness

At Molins, we see sustainability and competitiveness as inseparable agendas. The industrial transition requires advanced technologies, long-term planning, and collaboration between public and private actors. Moving toward a decarbonized industry is not only essential for the environment—it’s also an opportunity to strengthen European competitiveness and build a resilient, innovative industrial model ready for the challenges of the coming decade.