Sandbag’s latest brief explains why the EU CBAM must be expanded to cover key chemical value chains. With chemicals and refinery products responsible for 30% of industry emissions, phased inclusion is critical to prevent carbon leakage and phase out free allowances.

As Europe seeks to decarbonise its steel industry, a new Sandbag report highlights an overlooked solution: high-quality scrap steel from retired ships. With up to 15 million tonnes of certified scrap available annually, ship recycling could meet 20% of EU steel scrap demand — if policy gaps are addressed.

Sandbag and 14 other organisations urge the European Commission to reform, not expand, the ETS Indirect Cost Compensation scheme — warning that current proposals risk diverting climate funding into untargeted fossil subsidies.

Sandbag’s submission to the European Commission’s Circular Economy Act Call for Evidence highlights the importance of improving steel scrap quality, setting minimum recycled content requirements, and aligning carbon incentives to enhance circularity across the EU industrial sector.

Sandbag’s newly released CBAM Simulator allowed us to explore how the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could impact African exporters — and how cleaner production and carbon pricing could turn a cost into a competitive edge.

Sandbag’s response to the EU’s Electricity Action Plan highlights why both electrification and power sector decarbonisation are essential. It warns that growing electricity demand risks cannibalising clean power, unless renewable deployment accelerates.