Descarbonizar para Competir: Rumo a uma Indústria de Cimento e Aço de Baixo Carbono no Brasil

The report analyzes the decarbonization pathways for Brazil's cement and steel sectors, highlighting the role of emerging technologies like low-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture, the impact of international regulations like the EU's CBAM, and the availability of green financing instruments to support the industrial transition.

• The cement and steel industries are among Brazil's largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, with cement accounting for approximately 2.5% and steel production contributing 4% of the country's total GHG emissions.
• In the cement sector, calcination is the primary source of CO2, representing about 60% of direct emissions and 70% of total sector emissions; these process emissions cannot be reduced simply by changing fuels.
• Brazil possesses comparative advantages for decarbonization, including a predominantly renewable energy matrix and a history of using biomass (charcoal) in steelmaking, which results in lower GHG emissions per ton of steel compared to the global average.
• Deep decarbonization depends on emerging technologies such as low-carbon hydrogen (HBC), carbon capture and storage (CCS), and electrification, although these require substantial CAPEX and face infrastructure and maturity challenges.
• The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) acts as a regulatory pressure that increases the competitive advantage for Brazilian companies that proactively invest in sustainability to avoid taxes on high-carbon imports.
• Brazil has established the Brazilian GHG Emissions Trading System (SBCE) via Law No. 15.042/2024, creating a regulated cap-and-trade carbon market to incentivize the adoption of cleaner practices.
• Green financing is expanding in Brazil, with BRL 100 billion (USD 18.7 billion) available in total, of which BRL 24 billion (USD 4.5 billion) is for the construction sector (including cement and steel), though only 1% of available credit has been utilized by the construction and real estate sector.
• Public procurement is identified as a strategic tool to create scale for 'green' products, supported by Decree No. 11.890/2024, which allows preference margins for national goods and services meeting sustainability criteria.
• The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Industry Decarbonization Program (IDP) has selected Brazil to receive up to USD 250 million to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

APA

Alves, S., de Araújo, B. C., & Tanwar, S. (2025). Descarbonizar para Competir: Rumo a uma Indústria de Cimento e Aço de Baixo Carbono no Brasil. Climate Bonds Initiative. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Decarbonising-to-Compete_Portuguese.pdf

Chicago

Alves, Sheila, Bruno Coloma de Araújo, and Sumedha Tanwar. Descarbonizar para Competir: Rumo a uma Indústria de Cimento e Aço de Baixo Carbono no Brasil. Climate Bonds Initiative, 2025. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Decarbonising-to-Compete_Portuguese.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alves |first1=Sheila |last2=de Araújo |first2=Bruno Coloma |last3=Tanwar |first3=Sumedha |title=Descarbonizar para Competir: Rumo a uma Indústria de Cimento e Aço de Baixo Carbono no Brasil |publisher=Climate Bonds Initiative |date=October 2025 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Decarbonising-to-Compete_Portuguese.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alves2025descarbonizar, author = {Alves, Sheila and de Araújo, Bruno Coloma and Tanwar, Sumedha}, title = {{Descarbonizar para Competir: Rumo a uma Indústria de Cimento e Aço de Baixo Carbono no Brasil}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Decarbonising-to-Compete_Portuguese.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }