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INDUSTRIAL DECARBONIZATION:
THE ROLE OF MATERIAL EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES 1

Burcu HİÇYILMAZ - Sedat ALATAŞ
Etem KARAKAYA

ABSTRACT
Mitigating industrial emissions is highly critical to achieving the net-zero
emissions target. However, the fact that this sector is a part of a carbon-
intensive production process makes it difficult to reduce emissions resulting
from material production and use. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the
importance of material efficiency for industrial decarbonization and to discuss
the strategies that can be implemented in this direction. To this end, this study
first discusses why the industrial sector is considered a “hard-to-abate” sector,
industrial mitigation options, and the critical role of material efficiency from
the mitigation policy perspective. Secondly, this paper discusses the material
efficiency strategies and in which stages of product life cycle these strategies
can be implemented. All these discussions are based on the findings obtained
from the studies in the literature and the reports published by international
leading institutions and organizations. The findings show that there is a
great potential for industrial decarbonization, and efficient use of materials
can significantly contribute to the sustainability and circular economy in the
process from the design stage to the end-of-life stage. Moreover, it is found
that the design and use stages have the highest emission reduction potential.
Unlike the other studies in the literature, with paying special attention to the
industry sector, this study discusses material efficiency, material efficiency
strategies, and the stages in which these strategies can be implemented. In
this regard, this study is believed to significantly contribute to the literature.
Keywords: Industrial Decarbonization, Material Efficiency, Material Efficiency
Strategies, Circular Economy

1 This study is supported by the TÜBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türki-
ye) Project numbered 221K082, titled “Analysing Material Demand and Material Efficiency from
Sustainability Perspective: A Comparative Cross-Country Analysis and Assessments for Turkey”.

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