Blog posts
Norsk Hydro – Alcoa – Sandbag – Bellona Joint Op-Ed : Closing the CBAM scrap loophole – A critical move for climate & competitiveness
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) was established to extend Europe’s carbon pricing to imported products, aiming to create a level playing field between European industries and those from regions with less ambitious climate policies. However, in its...
Supply and demand in the EU ETS: It’s the hydrogen, stupid!
This note analyses the supply and demand balance of the EU ETS until 2030. It is based on Sandbag’s ETS Simulator, which was updated with the market’s latest data and policy parameters. • The EU ETS is on track to end its fourth phase in 2030 with a comfortable...
Report – A Scrap Game: Impacts of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) was formally adopted on 17 May 2023, two years after the initial proposal by the European Commission. We are now in the midst of the CBAM transitional period and negotiations are continuing for its full entry into...
CEPS-Sandbag Joint Op-Ed – The EU should lead the green steel race… Or it could be left behind in the dust
A wave of low-carbon steel projects should be launched across the EU by 2030 but how commercially viable they are is still to be seen. According to Agora Industry, two critical factors underpin this uncertainty: a carbon price below EUR 150 per tonne of CO2 emissions...
From Niche to Mainstream: Shaping Demand for Green Steel
This report on the demand for green steel examines the impact of steel production using low-carbon technologies further down the value chain. Key Takeaways Due to weak carbon prices and high electricity costs, producing green steel incurs in a premium, which...
Joint letter calling for separate emissions reductions and permanent CDR targets in EU 2040 climate framework
Sandbag co-signed an open letter sent to the European Commission by 114 leading academics, businesses, civil society organisations and research institutions urging the EU to set explicit and separate targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, land-based carbon...
Update of the EU ETS free allocation rules: Polluting for free during a climate crisis
In this joint op-ed, first featured in Carbon Pulse, Sandbag policy officer Aymeric Amand and Carbon Market Watch policy expert Lidia Tamellini examine the revision of the Free Allocation Regulation. The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is one of the core EU...
European Commission lets recycled steel down in regulation proposal
Sandbag and 12 other organisations – representing important environmental NGOs, think tanks and the European recycling industry – have co-signed a letter addressed to Members of the European Parliament and Members of Coreper 1 in response to the European Commission’s...
