Steam Still Runs Industry. That’s the Decarbonisation Problem

Send me a message Industrial heat powers half of manufacturing - and almost no one is talking about it. What if one of the biggest supply chain emissions problems has been hiding in the boiler room all along? In this episode, I’m joined by Addison Stark, CEO and co-founder of AtmosZero, to tackle one of the most overlooked risks in industrial sustainability: steam. A 160-year-old technology that still delivers roughly half of all industrial heat, quietly underpinning food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, brewing, and more. We explore why industrial heat is routinely labelled “hard to abate” and why that label may be more habit than reality. You’ll hear how electrified, drop-in steam boilers can replace combustion without forcing factories to redesign their operations, and why productised solutions matter more than bespoke decarbonisation projects if we want scale. We break down why heat pumps can outperform resistive electric boilers by a factor of two, how ignoring waste heat can actually accelerate deployment, and why engineers and plant managers, not press releases, ultimately decide what technologies make it into supply chains. You might be surprised to learn how Europe’s energy volatility and policy certainty are reshaping the economics of industrial heat, and why steam decarbonisation could follow a very different curve from solar or EVs. This is a conversation about resilience, risk, and the unglamorous infrastructure that keeps global supply chains moving. Hidden systems. Real impact. No hype. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how Addison Stark and AtmosZero are re-engineering industrial heat for resilient, sustainable supply chains. If disruption hit tomorrow, would you know where your supply chain was most exposed? In 15 minutes my free scorecard helps you assess 27 resilience statements, calculate your score, and turn the result into three priorities and a 30 day action plan. You can download the scorecard free at tomraftery.com/scorecard. Support the show Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous Subscribers: Alicia Farag Kieran Ognev Gary Lynch And remember you too can become a Resilient Supply Chain+ subscriber - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent episodes like this one and give you access to bonus episodes of topical, timely supply chain resilience analysis. 🎤 Looking for a keynote speaker on supply chain resilience, AI, and sustainability? I help leaders understand the forces reshaping global supply chains, from geopolitical disruption and climate risk to AI and real-time decision-making. Download my Speaker Pack: https://tinyurl.com/spkrpck Finally If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on LinkedIn, or send me a message using this link. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks for listening.