A new international organization aimed at accelerating carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology was officially launched in Beijing on July 11, bringing together over 50 global entities committed to advancing climate action.
The International CCUS Technology Innovation & Cooperation Organization (ICTO) was formed under the leadership of Sinopec, with support from the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST).
The inauguration event marked a significant step toward building a global collaborative network for CCUS innovation.
ICTO unites enterprises, research institutions, industry associations, and technical experts to promote the development and deployment of CCUS technologies worldwide. The organization’s mission—“Innovating for Carbon Pathway, Sharing the Future”—underscores its focus on cross-border knowledge sharing and joint climate efforts.
Representatives from 12 countries across four continents participated in the event. During the assembly, members approved ICTO’s founding charter and elected its first leadership team.
Ma Yongsheng, Chairman of Sinopec and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was elected as ICTO’s inaugural director.
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“The establishment of ICTO not only demonstrates the global community’s firm commitment to tackle climate change, but also is a collective declaration of tangible action,” Ma stated.
CCUS has emerged as a critical solution for large-scale emissions reduction. According to global climate models, the technology could deliver up to 15% of the emissions cuts required to meet net-zero targets. Achieving that goal, however, will require a massive scale-up—CCUS capacity must grow more than 100-fold by 2050.
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Sinopec has played a pioneering role in China’s CCUS sector, launching the country’s first project at Shengli Oilfield in 2012 and integrating CO2 resource management across its operations by 2015.
In recent years, the company has continued to lead with milestones such as China’s first commercial megaton-scale CCUS project (2022) and the construction of its first long-distance CO2 pipeline (2023).
ICTO’s formation reflects the growing international consensus on the need for cooperative, science-driven solutions to combat climate change and positions Beijing as a hub for CCUS leadership on the world stage.
