Responding to the European Commission's launch of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) on March 4, 2026, ESWET, the European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology, welcomes IAA as a key initiative to strengthen Europe’s manufacturing base and industrial competitiveness.
As European industrial manufacturers, Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technology suppliers directly contribute to the Act’s objectives and play a key role in enhancing Europe’s strategic industrial capabilities.
ESWET members design and manufacture the heavy and sophisticated equipment that enables Europe to treat non-recyclable waste safely while recovering energy and materials and pursuing carbon capture for removal and utilisation.
At the same time, Waste-to-Energy is a strategic enabler for the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries. Waste-to-Energy plants supply reliable, 24/7 electricity and heat – more than 50 percent of which is renewable – substituting fossil fuel-based energy in industrial clusters.
At a time when Europe’s industry – and the chemicals sector in particular – continues to face severe pressure from volatile and high gas prices, domestically produced and dispatchable energy sources are critical to restoring European competitiveness and reducing exposure to external supply shocks.
By decreasing reliance on imported natural gas, Waste-to-Energy strengthens energy security while directly lowering the carbon footprint of strategic products.
Therefore, ESWET says, it is “vital that Waste-to-Energy technology manufacturers be integrated into industrial manufacturing acceleration areas; it is also paramount that Waste-to-Energy plants be recognised as strategic infrastructure supporting these clusters through stable energy supply and the recovery of secondary raw materials.”
ESWET welcomes the recognition of biomass, waste and captured carbon as sustainable carbon sources in the IAA. This recognition should evolve into a clear and predictable framework for low-carbon pathways, including the use of waste-derived biogenic carbon dioxide (bioCO2) in the chemical industry.
Waste-to-Energy facilities equipped with carbon capture can supply circular carbon feedstocks and contribute to Europe’s strategic autonomy in carbon value chains.
To create effective lead markets, the IAA must go further in recognising the role of secondary raw materials.
Metals, such as iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al), and minerals recovered from the bottom ash of European WtE facilities contribute to reducing the carbon intensity of manufacturing and to strengthening supply chain resilience.
Waste-to-Energy’s contribution to the supply of secondary critical raw materials should be clearly reflected in low-carbon requirements and scrap-share incentives in public procurement and support schemes.
The Industrial Accelerator Act is a positive signal for European manufacturing. To succeed, it must fully align competitiveness with circularity and with upcoming legislation, such as the Circular Economy Act. Europe’s industrial transformation requires not only faster permitting and stronger demand signals, but also a clear recognition of circular energy, secondary materials, and supply of captured carbon as strategic assets, said Patrick Clerens, Secretary-General of ESWET.
