Whitepaper — FMCG

Don't Let Your Production Line Run Out of Steam

How AtmosZero can decarbonize the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. Steam powered the first industrial revolution. Decarbonized steam will power the next one.

FMCG industry confronts emissions challenges

Steam is the most important heat transfer fluid used today, a bedrock of manufacturing and crucial to the FMCG sector. Whether you're producing for food and beverage, health and wellness, personal care and hygiene, or beyond, steam is essential to key manufacturing processes such as heating and cooking, processing and extraction, sterilization, and in-house power generation.

Yet steam generation accounts for 8% of global primary energy usage — the equivalent of 2.25 GT of greenhouse gas emissions every year. The way we produce steam needs to change.

Regulation is turning up the pressure

The EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), Fit for 55 Package, and Clean Industrial Deal — alongside individual national targets — have all introduced regulations affecting industrial steam production. Deadlines are often centered around a net-zero-by-2050 goal, but many targets arrive as early as 2030, meaning businesses need to decide how they'll meet them promptly.

FMCG businesses are under particular pressure: the World Economic Forum estimates the sector is responsible for more than one-third of global emissions. That leaves FMCG companies looking for a solution that meets sustainability targets while still being conducive to commercial success.

The solution: AtmosZero Boiler 2.0

AtmosZero designed Boiler 2.0, our steam-generating heat pump technology, to meet the new needs of the FMCG sector. A reimagining of fossil-fired industrial boilers, it offers the same function as combustion, electric resistive, or electrode boilers — but at twice the efficiency, and with zero scope 1 emissions steam from day one.

Boiler 2.0 isn't just designed to slash emissions. Its efficiency and plug-in design make it cost-effective, too. Capable of delivering temperatures up to 150°C today (expanding to 200°C by 2028) with a lift from -10°C, and delivering 1 ton of steam per hour, Boiler 2.0 is ideal for mid-size plants.

AtmosZero Boiler 2.0: Producing electrified clean steam

Charge full steam ahead into the decarbonized future

2050 is a common deadline for emissions targets, and for some ambitious businesses, it's even closer. Whether these targets are imposed by regulation or by a company's own pledge, missing them isn't an option — it risks lost credibility, financial penalties, lawsuits, and being overtaken by more innovative competition. Meeting them, on the other hand, demonstrates reliability, innovation, and responsibility to customers and investors.

For many FMCG businesses, steam is the biggest contributor to scope 1 emissions. Gas-fired boilers — the typical source of steam production — burn natural gas, hydrogen, fuel oil, or coal, delivering a 20% efficiency loss while emitting CO2 and other pollutants. Even resistive and electrode boilers typically suffer a 2% efficiency loss. That wasted energy and those carbon emissions make standard boiler room solutions significant contributors to scope 1 emissions, while burning operating costs.

Levelized cost of steam

Illustrative comparison. Decarbonized options shown in teal, fossil-fueled options in navy.

Easy installation, instant results

In contrast to traditional alternatives, Boiler 2.0 generates steam by sourcing heat from the outside air, offering much greater energy efficiency — up to twice the efficiency of a standard electric boiler — and zero pollutants.

Because AtmosZero's proprietary air-sourced heat pump technology upgrades heat rather than creating it, efficiencies can run significantly higher than 100%, slashing facility energy needs. Boiler 2.0 also emits zero on-site carbon, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, or particulate matter. Install it, and you're producing steam free of scope 1 emissions from day one.

Boiler 2.0 first-gen indicative specifications

Don't compromise: redefine boiler room efficiency

As important as sustainability is, cost remains a crucial consideration. At AtmosZero, we don't think businesses should have to choose between sustainability and commercial success. Boiler 2.0 delivers cost benefits via its efficiency and quick installation.

Double your efficiency gains

Up to twice as efficient as an electric boiler, and more than twice as efficient as burning gas, Boiler 2.0 delivers steam at the lowest long-term cost on the market — reducing both energy use and operational expenses.

A product, not a project

Boiler 2.0 is a plug-and-play solution: quick and cheap to install, with instant results. Sustainability deadlines mean the lengthy installation processes of custom-engineered heat pump solutions simply aren't an option for businesses that need to meet targets on time. Installing Boiler 2.0 takes days, not weeks or months.

No hidden costs of installation

Our drop-in solution lets businesses update their boilers without disrupting productivity. Installing in days rather than weeks or months minimizes facility downtime and prevents added costs from lost productivity — and avoids the hidden costs of the time-consuming integration work that waste heat-driven heat pumps require.

Drop it in, drop to zero

Boiler 2.0's design is flexible and can be adapted to your plant's specific needs. Unlike an e-boiler, it can be placed inside, outside, or as a split system — whatever your site requires.

Not just a quick fix

Adaptable and relocatable, our solution reduces lifecycle waste and enhances long-term value, staying operable for up to 20 years, 24/7. Boiler 2.0 installs quickly, but it's built for the future.

Integrate with your process cooling loop; improve efficiency

AtmosZero is the only heat pump provider in the market offering the option to integrate with your process cooling loop for improved plant efficiency. For facilities that require process cooling, this option can significantly improve plant efficiency. Low-temperature waste heat streams, such as condenser water, can be easily integrated to boost performance — waste heat integration at 40°C offers a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 2.4.

Use case: New Belgium Brewing Company

In 2025, New Belgium Brewing Company officially launched its Boiler 2.0 pilot at its main brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. New Belgium uses vast amounts of steam to control temperatures within its boil kettles, helping draw out flavors from hops and grains at crucial points of the beer-making process.

A traditional electric boiler wasn't an option — inefficient resistive heating uses too much energy and drives up costs. Waste-driven heat pump options entailed costly integration work and would have required stopping production for up to weeks. Other heat pump solutions were simply too large for the steam capacity required.

New Belgium chose to pilot Boiler 2.0 because its air-sourced heat pump technology is up to twice as efficient as other options — and because it's a drop-in, scalable product rather than a project, with installation taking just a few days and allowing normal production to continue.

With Boiler 2.0, New Belgium found a steam-generating solution that offers ease of installation, efficiency, and sustainability.

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