Why Trust, Not Technology, Is the Real Bottleneck in the Energy Transition

Hydrogen, CCUS, and industrial decarbonization are moving from ambition to execution. But as these markets mature, one challenge is becoming harder to ignore: performance and sustainability claims must now be proven, not just promised.

That is why trust has become one of the most important constraints in the energy transition. Investors, regulators, customers, and policymakers are all asking for the same thing: credible evidence.

The new white paper, Measurement as a Trust Layer in the Energy Transition, explores how high-quality measurement helps turn claims into evidence. From lifecycle emissions and carbon storage performance to certification, financing, and cross-border trade, measurement is becoming the foundation for confidence in low-carbon technologies and markets.

Importantly, that confidence begins with the quality of the underlying scientific data. Material characterization helps establish the fundamental properties of catalysts, adsorbents, sorbents, membranes, and other materials that ultimately determine technology performance and environmental outcomes.

For project developers, capital providers, regulators, and industrial buyers, this shift matters. Without auditable data, projects can face slower approvals, more cautious financing, and weaker market credibility. With the right measurement framework, trust becomes easier to build and easier to defend.

The full white paper looks at where trust is being tested across hydrogen, CCUS, industrial decarbonization, and low-carbon supply chains, and why measurement is becoming a critical enabler of scale.

Who will find this useful?

If your work depends on proving performance and sustainability claims rather than simply communicating intent, this topic is becoming hard to ignore. The pressure is no longer limited to technical teams. It is showing up in investment decisions, regulatory reviews, customer conversations, procurement requirements, and market access discussions.

The white paper is relevant for anyone asking questions such as:

• How do we make carbon intensity or emissions-reduction claims more credible?
• What evidence will investors, regulators, or customers expect to see?
• How will hydrogen certification, CCUS verification, or digital traceability affect project readiness?
• How does material characterization support credible performance and sustainability claims?
• What does it take to build confidence before claims are challenged?

It is written for the teams shaping these decisions, including:

Hydrogen and CCUS developers, industrial decarbonization leaders, investors, sustainability and regulatory professionals, and technology teams working to connect technical performance with credible environmental claims.

The bottom line

In the next phase of the energy transition, progress will depend not only on what can be built, but on what can be measured, verified, and trusted.

Read and download the full white paper in the Knowledge Center to explore how measurement supports trust across hydrogen, CCUS, industrial decarbonization, and low-carbon supply chains.