---
title: "EU ETS"
description: "The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the EU's cap-and-trade system pricing CO₂ emissions from large industrial installations. Covered sectors include power generation, oil refining, cement, lime, iron and steel, chemicals, pulp and paper, and from 2028 also waste-to-energy (WtE)."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/eu-ets"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:38.803Z"
---

The **EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)** is the EU's cap-and-trade system pricing CO₂ emissions from large industrial installations. Covered sectors include power generation, oil refining, cement, lime, iron and steel, chemicals, pulp and paper, and from 2028 also [waste-to-energy (WtE)](/glossary/waste-to-energy).

## Why EU ETS matters for sonic-horn marketing

ETS prices CO₂ at typically €60–100 per tonne (early-to-mid 2020s). For industrial operators, every percentage point of efficiency improvement maps to fewer emissions allowances needed. Active [convective-pass cleaning](/glossary/convective-pass-backpass) that preserves [heat rate](/glossary/heat-rate) and avoids derates therefore has direct ETS cost-saving value, additional to the avoided-fuel cost.

The 2028 WtE inclusion intensifies the cleaning-economics case in that sector: better [boiler](/glossary/boiler) availability and lower deratings translate directly to fewer allowances purchased.

## Related terms

- [Waste-to-energy](/glossary/waste-to-energy)
- [Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)](/glossary/industrial-emissions-directive)
- [Heat rate](/glossary/heat-rate)