Unlocking first-of-a-find projects through Clean Industrial Hubs insights

Heavy industry is on the brink of a major transformation. Developing low-emissions products and decarbonizing existing industrial facilities can increase domestic and global economies, protect energy security and resilience, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and improve the quality of life for people across the planet by reducing pollution and supporting global climate goals.

Enabling the triple bottom line of economy, community, and environment requires a tremendous investment in new projects this decade. Trillions of dollars of capital will be needed in industry and transportation. But financing alone is not enough. Building these projects requires a collaborative ecosystem of project developers, policymakers, community organizations, and financiers to support innovation, sustainability, and economic growth.

Heavy industry and transportation sectors — cement, steel, aluminium, chemical production, aviation, shipping, and trucking — together generate more than 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Meeting global climate goals will require building more than 700 net-zero industrial projects and deploying 7 million zero-emissions trucks by 2030.1 So far, just 12% of these projects are operational. Most will be in regional industrial hubs, or clusters, where there is a concentration of existing industrial activity and where the physical, social, regulatory, and economic infrastructure is in place to support rapid scale-up. Today, first-of-a-kind (FOAK) and nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) decarbonization projects face tremendous hurdles, but our on-the-ground experience and research show there is a key to unlocking them.

A successful clean industrial hub includes three main components: a supportive ecosystem, a variety of decarbonisation and clean energy projects, and reliable connective infrastructure.

From August 2022 to December 2024, Mission Possible Partnership and RMI, with support from the Bezos Earth Fund, accelerated the development of clean industrial hubs in California and Texas, directly partnering with 18 FOAK clean industrial projects to grow regional economies, strengthen local workforces, and protect energy security while reducing industry’s environmental impacts.

Clean industrial hubs bring together project developers, policymakers, financial institutions, and community-based organizations to advance regional clusters of clean energy and industrial decarbonization projects. These stakeholders work together to benefit the local economy by sharing infrastructure, creating demand for low-emissions fuels and materials, and implementing innovative technology while minimizing environmental impact. Clean industrial hubs help spur economic growth, create employment opportunities, and unlock new technologies.

Read | Unlocking first-of-a-find projects through Clean Industrial Hubs