Researchers say such a transformation is absolutely doable. A new European research project will no longer treat CO₂ as waste, but as a resource in innovative value chains. This has the potential to lead to fewer emissions and completely new products.

By Olav Spanne - Published 29.07.2026

The goal is to convert industrial emissions directly into chemicals that can be used in the further production of materials and products, from packaging to textiles.

The project has been named REACT. The technology being developed is based on a new electrochemical process that can convert CO₂ into ethylene (also called ethene), a key building block in plastics and chemicals. The solution is designed to operate on CO₂ emissions from industry, without requiring extensive purification.

The project is particularly targeted at industries such as steel, cement and chemicals, where it is very difficult to cut emissions. Currently, few good alternatives exist to reduce them.

REACT is being funded by Horizon Europe with a budget of approximately EUR 8.4 million, with 13 partners from 10 countries collaborating. SINTEF, a leading independent research organization with headquarters in Trondheim, Norway, is coordinating the project and will play a central role in taking the technology from research level to industrial application. This workflow includes process design, scale-up and economic feasibility analyses.