Roca Group decarbonizes ceramic manufacturing and cuts its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 58%

The first step is always to cut energy demand. The Group has implemented heat recovery, compressed air optimization, variable-frequency drives, more efficient equipment, insulation upgrades, and digital monitoring, with more than 180 measures carried out globally.

Roca Group is replacing fossil-fuel technologies with electric alternatives, including kilns, heat pumps, boilers and auxiliary equipment. Its main breakthrough was the world’s first fully electric tunnel kiln for sanitary ceramics, commissioned at the Gmunden plant in Austria in 2023 after four years of joint development with Keramischer OFENBAU. The project demonstrated that a continuous firing process operating above 1,200°C could be electrified at industrial scale while maintaining product quality and production capacity. 

The company subsequently electrified the plant’s remaining processes and switched to certified renewable electricity, supplemented by 5,000 onsite solar panels that cover approximately 20% of demand. This made Gmunden the first sanitary ceramics factory to eliminate energy-related operational emissions*.

*“Zero energy-related operational emissions” means that the manufacturing processes concerned have eliminated emissions from fossil energy use and run exclusively on certified renewable electricity. It does not amount to a zero life-cycle footprint: some plants may retain residual, unavoidable non-energy Scope 1 emissions from process reactions or refrigerants, which are measured and reported within the Group’s greenhouse gas inventory.

Electrification delivers the expected climate benefit only if the electricity comes from renewable sources. The Group has expanded its own photovoltaic generation and secured renewable supply through certified contracts and long-term agreements, including two ten-year PPAs: one linked to solar facilities in Spain, covering demand from its European industrial operations, and another covering 100% of the Group’s electricity consumption in Brazil.

Between 2025 and 2026, nine factories completed their decarbonization process and now produce the main components of a complete bathroom without energy-related operational emissions. The pathways differ: existing factories require retrofits and the replacement of fossil-fueled equipment, whereas new ones are designed around electrification and low consumption from the outset, such as the shower enclosure plant in Anadia (Portugal), powered exclusively by on-site solar generation. 

Roca Group’s next priority is to move from pioneering projects to the systematic scaling of its decarbonization model across additional factories, product categories and geographies.

Roca Group extended its decarbonization roadmap beyond its direct operations by identifying and engaging the suppliers with the greatest impact on its Scope 3 footprint. The supplier collaboration programme covers close to 1,500 companies representing more than 75% of the Group’s Scope 3 emissions. 

Priority suppliers have been invited to provide company-specific emissions data, enabling Roca Group to improve the transparency and accuracy. The programme provides suppliers with access to free emissions-calculation tools and training resources, while encouraging them to establish measurable reduction targets aligned with climate science.

Roca Group publishes its roadmap and emissions data through the Integrated Annual Report, sustainability reporting, and industry forums, and has shared the Gmunden case as evidence that high-temperature ceramic production can be electrified in a technically and economically viable way. The technology also applies to structural and technical ceramics, tiles, and tableware. The company additionally takes part in UN Global Compact working groups and in other climate and industry initiatives.

A technological breakthrough alone is not enough. Electrification must be supported by renewable electricity, investment capacity, factory-level expertise, operational discipline, cross-functional governance and a long-term business rationale.

Companies should not wait for a universal technical solution. The appropriate pathway depends on the product, production process, age of the facility, location, energy system and available infrastructure.

Comparable and granular information across factories improves investment prioritization, helps identify efficiency opportunities and makes progress easier to verify. Roca Group identified earlier standardization of its digital energy- monitoring systems and data architecture as an area that would have accelerated implementation.

Starting with Scope 1 and 2 emissions allowed Roca Group to act in areas under its direct control. However, engaging suppliers in parallel would have helped the company address raw materials, logistics and product life-cycle emissions earlier, particularly as operational emissions declined.