Key Components of an Emissions Reduction Plan in Energy, Mining, and Manufacturing

All industries must take action to minimize their contributions to climate change. While many organizations already understand the need to do so, how to execute it is often less clear. A sustainability target alone is not enough — businesses also need a formal emissions reduction plan.

What such a strategy should include varies between sectors, as each impacts the environment differently and has unique needs. With that in mind, here’s looking at the overall steps emissions plans should include across three heavy industries — energy, mining, and manufacturing.

Energy Emissions Reduction Plans
The power sector is responsible for much of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it a key area to address. Minimizing this impact is largely a matter of moving away from fossil fuels, which requires three key measures.

1. Renewables
The first and most important step to reduce energy-related carbon footprints is to switch to renewable power sources. Renewables produce just 21.4% of U.S. electricity as of 2023 — a notable increase compared to previous years but leaving substantial room for improvement.

Which alternatives are the best depends on the specific region. Grids will need to use a mix of wind, solar, hydropower and nuclear energy to provide renewable electricity to as many people as possible. While such installations will incur high upfront costs, they’ll pay off for themselves over time, as renewables are often the cheapest way to produce energy.

2. Smart Grids
As utility providers increase their reliance on renewables, they’ll need to install smart grid infrastructure to ensure their viability. Wind and solar are intermittent, which leads to supply and demand discrepancies. The U.K. wasted 1.35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity because of this issue, but smart grids can account for them.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled transformers and storage solutions can divert power wherever it’s needed most at any given moment. At peak generation, that may mean sending more to storage for later use when demand rises but production falls. As a result, they ensure grids can use their renewable capacity to its full extent.

3. Carbon Capture
Even with considerable investment, it will take time to transition to clean energy sources. Consequently, energy emissions reduction plans must also include a way to mitigate current GHG emissions in the meantime. Carbon capture could be the answer.

CO2 scrubbers and similar equipment can pull harmful gases from fossil fuel facilities and compress them into tank storage. Organizations can then either sequester the carbon underground or divert it for use in various products, including:

• Fertilizers
• Biofuels
• Oil recovery
• Concrete

While not a perfect solution, it prevents some GHGs from entering the atmosphere, buying time for larger changes.

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Mining Emissions Reduction Plans
The mining sector also needs an emission reduction plan, especially as the surging electronics market raises demand for rare earth minerals. Mining’s path forward is less clear than that of other industries, but a few fixes are possible with today’s technology.

1. Electrification and Alternative Fuels
Equipment electrification is the most critical step, as 40% to 50% of mining emissions come from diesel machinery. Electric mining vehicles are less common than other EVs today, but they are a growing field. Hydrogen fuel cells may be better than batteries for this purpose, given their longer run times.

As mining companies wait for the electric machinery market to mature, they should consider drop-in alternative fuels. Green diesel can work in existing engines with no modifications. While the fuel still produces some tailpipe emissions, it burns cleaner than petroleum alternatives and comes from lower-carbon production methods.

2. Soil Stabilization
Process improvements should also play a role in emissions reduction plans to boost the efficiency of existing equipment. Soil stabilization is a key component here. Loose soil will require machinery to work harder to move, burning additional fuel. Similarly, stabilization prevents excessive material shifting, minimizing the energy teams must exert to excavate.

Among soil stabilization techniques, nailing may be more economically viable than gravity walls or anchors. Soil nails reach drive speeds of 250 miles per hour, enabling rapid installation to prevent delays.

3. Carbon Credits
Because decarbonization may take longer in mining than in other sectors, carbon offsets may be necessary. Investing in sustainability initiatives elsewhere is not ideal — some circles accuse organizations of greenwashing if it’s their sole measure — but it does reduce global emissions. Potential offset targets include:

• Renewable energy installations
• Reforestation efforts
• Carbon capture, use and sequestration
• Waste management projects

Mining companies should research carbon credit options to find where their money will produce the greatest emissions reductions. As electric mining machinery becomes more common, they can then wean off of these offsets to make a more direct impact.

Manufacturing Emissions Reduction Plans
Manufacturing companies must also plan to minimize their GHG emissions. Many of the steps in this sector are similar to those in others, but there are a few industry-specific factors to consider.

1. Supply Chain Optimization
Any manufacturing emissions reduction plan must focus on the supply chain. While supplier-side and logistics-related carbon footprints may seem a secondary concern, they’re the largest problem. Scope 3 emissions are 11.4 times higher than operational ones on average.

Supply chain sustainability is complex, so it’s difficult to perfect. However, that also means there are many ways to improve it. Possible steps include:

• Sourcing from geographically closer suppliers
• Using recycled or renewable materials
• Shipping products with electric trucks
• Only working with suppliers who set and pursue carbon reduction goals

2. On-Site Renewable Energy
Manufacturers also consume a considerable amount of power. Consequently, renewables should be part of their sustainability planning, too. Unlike many businesses, factories can often install on-site renewables to go green while reducing their ongoing energy spending.

Rooftop solar panels are the most straightforward example. However, hydropower, wind turbines, and hydrogen fuel cells may also be viable options, depending on a facility’s location. Whatever the case, such installations lower the electricity companies must buy from the grid, so they’re also a cost-effective solution in the long term.

3. Automation and AI
Some optimization steps manufacturers are already using to drive process improvements can support emissions reduction plans. While automation and AI consume plenty of energy on their own, they can produce broader savings if businesses implement them properly.

Automating processes reduces waste and shortens lead times, resulting in less power consumption per product. Some facilities have raised their energy efficiency by 5% through software automation alone. AI can drive further optimization by analyzing workflows for areas to eliminate waste, minimize energy needs or otherwise embrace sustainability.

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Why Every Industry Needs an Emissions Reduction Plan
These steps are not the only ones organizations can take to minimize their carbon footprints. However, they highlight the most important factors an emissions reduction plan in each sector should address.

Reaching net-zero emissions will take time. As more businesses embrace detailed sustainability planning, though, the timeline will shorten, paving the way for a green future.

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