ArcelorMittal, Holcim, Iberia and Repsol came together to create All4Zero, an industry-focused technological innovation hub, unique in Spain, whose aim is to speed up the development of disruptive technologies oriented toward decarbonization and the circular economy.
The non-profit, privately run, multi-sector project is born out of the combined industrial experience and technological capacity of its four founding members, who share common strategic objectives related to decarbonizing their industrial activity and achieving net zero emissions in 2050.
The hub was presented at an event in Madrid, with participation from the CEOs of Holcim Spain, Carmen Díaz Canabal; Iberia, Fernando Candela; and Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz; as well as the head of ArcelorMittal’s global R & D Centers, Nicolás de Abajo. At the event, the differential value of this initiative, which stems from its clear industrial focus and purpose aimed toward driving the innovation ecosystem in Spain was explained.
The founding members will work to streamline the development of technologies that favor the transformation of key industrial sectors, such as mobility, energy, construction, and the iron and steel industry. To do so, they will make their industrial facilities, technological centers and laboratories available to the hub, with the goal of speeding up the scaling and implementation of disruptive technologies in the most efficient way possible. Among these work areas, priority will be given to projects related to renewable fuels, circular materials, renewable hydrogen and capturing and converting CO2 in value-added products.
All4Zero will focus on the early discovery of technologies born at universities, research centers, small and mid-sized companies, startups and from entrepreneurs, and will create the possibility to validate and scale their technological developments in real industrial settings, thus closing the gap between conceptualization and implementation in economic activity processes.
The innovative ecosystem can participate in technology days, as well as resolving challenges or creating proofs of concept in the facilities provided by the four founding members.
In fact, ArcelorMittal has committed to offering its Gas Lab, Water Technologies Lab, Air Technologies Laboratory and Circularity Laboratory, all located in Asturias, as well as their expert knowledge from the 11 other R & D Centers the company has in Europe and North and South America. Holcim has offered its Central Laboratory for Quality Concrete and its factories in Villaluenga de la Sagra (Toledo), Carboneras (Almería), Sagunto (Valencia), Montcada i Reixac (Barcelona) and Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), Research and Development Center for New Concrete and Mortar (Alcobendas, Madrid), the Holcim Innovation Center (Lyon, France) and its Industrial Waste Treatment Plant (Albox, Almería), as well as all of its concrete and mortar industrial facilities. Iberia, for its part, provides its Aeronautical Maintenance Hangars, Engine Shop and Test Cell, all located in Madrid. Lastly, Repsol has made its Repsol Technology Lab (Mósteles, Madrid) and its industrial complexes in La Coruña, Puertollano, Tarragona, Cartagena, Sines (Portugal) and Petronor in Muskiz (Vizcaya) available to the project. For this reason, All4Zero is an unprecedented initiative, both for its potential and tangible reality, since it will stimulate the research ecosystem to transform Spain into a reference point for industrial innovation.
In addition to its founding members, All4Zero will join forces with a system of collaborators who at different levels of involvement, with an openness to adding other companies and entities to the project that seek the same decarbonization goals, such as Enagás, Tecnalia, Navantia and IMDEA Energy, who provide experience in their respective sectors, such as renewable energy, gas, digital transformation and sustainable mobility, with the hopes of more entities signing on over the coming months.
Spain, reference point in industrial innovation
“These types of alliances are fundamental for solving the net zero emissions in 2050 challenge. The combination of experience, technological prowess, and corporate synergies are common goals that will guarantee us fast and safe steps toward decarbonization”, declared head of ArcelorMittal’s global R & D Centers, Nicolás de Abajo, for whom the agreement signed between the four founding corporations of All4Zero “represents a very important advancement toward encouraging disruptive technological solutions generated in a unique innovative technological ecosystem that allows us to move forward toward a sustainable future, creating opportunities for progress for entrepreneurs and small and mid-sized companies”.
Similarly, the CEO of Holcim Spain, Carmen Díaz Canabal, has stated that “we have started on a journey toward net zero in which we are aware of the importance of technological decarbonization solutions, paving the way for new challenges and opportunities. With the creation of this open-innovation ecosystem, we will continue enabling technological development that will allow us to reach the common global goal of decarbonization. All4Zero is an alliance among companies in strategic sectors working toward progress in Spain, which are key to the future of the economy and generating high-quality employment”.
Along these lines, the President and CEO of Iberia, Fernando Candela, has added that “All4Zero is an alliance of members of industry, with infrastructures and a potential for synergies that will allow us to increase our commitment to innovation and developing new projects that contribute positively to transitioning our operations toward net zero emissions. All of the corporations that have joined All4Zero are leaders in our respective sectors, and we share a common goal: decarbonization in our business. All4Zero will be a magnet for innovation, technology and talent to achieve this goal”.
Lastly, Repsol CEO Josu Jon Imaz, has stated that “the creation of All4Zero, along with three leading industrial companies in strategic sectors, allows us to combine forces, share knowledge, and carry out a unique project in Spain in the industrial sector, which, as of today, is without precedent in our country”. Additionally, “it represents a unique opportunity to support the innovation ecosystem by giving support to startups and small and mid-sized companies, which often have great ideas and talent but lack resources and cannot access an industrial setting to demonstrate and validate their technological proposals”.
In the next few months, the main focus will be on including new members and collaborators, so that the hub can include widespread representation in the industrial sector and the innovation ecosystem. Likewise, All4Zero’s ambition is to carry out at least 10 pilots in 2024 and organize different technology days and innovation events.
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