Well-targeted international collaboration can amplify domestic efforts to reduce emissions and deploy low-emission technologies and solutions. Acting together, countries, companies and global initiatives are in the unique position to harmonise standards, aggregate demand, mobilise finance and move markets in ways that are nearly impossible to achieve in isolation. Geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty are testing the resilience of international co-operation, but also underscore its importance to avoid fragmentation of global markets and delaying action on emissions reductions. This report therefore identifies many practical opportunities for countries to work together in ways that advance economic development objectives as well as transitions.

The Breakthrough Agenda acts as a framework to identify where collaborative action is most needed. Launched in 2021, the Breakthrough Agenda is supported by 61 countries and over 150 initiatives across 7 major sectors of the economy: power, hydrogen, road transport, steel, cement and concrete, buildings and agriculture. Through a collaborative process, participants are working to make clean technologies and sustainable solutions the most affordable, accessible and attractive option in each sector by 2030.

This year’s report takes a step back to define how success should be measured and shows what positive collaboration looks like in practice. A special focus on international collaboration in the fertiliser sector builds on previous efforts under the Agriculture Breakthrough, and is accompanied by chapters that dive deeper into areas where collaboration can be strengthened on iron and steel, trucks, electricity grids and supply chain diversification.

The Breakthrough Agenda goals set an ambitious vision for each sector. Countries and non-state actors that participate in the Breakthrough Agenda agree to goals that represent tipping points at which the clean options in each sector become more affordable, accessible and attractive than the fossil fuel option by 2030.

Annual recommendations offer direction to guide collaboration. Every year since their adoption, the Breakthrough Agenda reports have outlined the conditions necessary to achieve the 2030 goals, assessed the state of international collaboration in high GHG-emitting sectors, and provided recommendations on actions to accelerate energy transitions. These annual recommendations help to outline collaborative efforts over the course of the year.

Translating the Breakthrough Agenda goals into action requires a shared and measurable vision of success.  While annual recommendations identify the near-term actions needed to reach those goals, this year we are suggesting “success statements” for each sector that provide additional insight on what it means to achieve the ambitious 2030 goals of the Breakthrough Agenda. Each statement is paired with quantitative indicators and qualitative examples, providing a clear picture of measuring progress. The success statements are intended to serve as complementary tools to the annual cycle of recommendations and assessments already embedded in the Breakthrough Agenda process. This two-track approach – recommendations and success statements – may serve to make monitoring more comprehensive and help drive progress across sectors.

Regional experience shows the importance of strong cross-border collaboration to integrate grid infrastructure and build transportation corridors. Both regional grid interconnections and zero-emission freight corridors require deep cross-border collaboration to succeed, as they face similar challenges in aligning technical standards, cost-sharing, financing and governance. For grid infrastructure, international experience in Central America and Southeast Asia shows that durable institutional frameworks, political agreements and harmonised planning are essential to unlock investment and deliver reliable regional interconnections. Experience in Europe and East Africa shows that advancing zero-emission truck corridors depends on multi-country investment packages, co-ordinated grid expansion to support high-capacity charging and regulatory alignment on vehicle and charging standards. In both cases, collaboration provides certainty for investors, ensures clean infrastructure deployment and reduces costs – while also enabling seamless cross-border operations that accelerate the energy transition.

International agreements could reduce risks for investment in near-zero emissions iron and steel production. Offtake agreements, in which a steel producer commits to buy a specified quantity of near-zero emissions iron, could increase the competitiveness of steelmakers in countries with high energy costs, and provide an opportunity for iron exporting countries with abundant low-cost renewable energy resources to move up the value chain. They could play a critical role in enabling investment in new near-zero emissions iron and steel production facilities, by focusing on regions where production can be most competitive. Emerging interest in this approach is visible in projects in Australia, Canada, Germany, Namibia and Sweden. Bilateral agreements on cost-sharing and standards between the governments of the countries concerned are likely to be important to give businesses the confidence to invest.

Supply chain collaboration can deliver tangible progress on security, economic and climate goals, providing an opportunity for emerging markets. Access to clean energy technologies is important for achieving climate goals, but their importance now extends well beyond the realm of climate change — they have become important considerations for industrial and economic policy. The energy transition provides an opportunity for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) to leverage competitive advantages, develop manufacturing capabilities and move up the value chain as global demand for energy technologies and their components grows. While collaboration on clean energy technology supply chains is gaining momentum across several key areas, more efforts are needed on developing resilient and diversified supply chains, including mapping supply chain vulnerabilities, expanding skills transfer and R&D efforts, and developing common standards.

Energy and agriculture represent key focus areas at this year’s climate summit. Brazil has identified energy and agriculture as core thematic pillars of its Action Agenda, recognising their central role in development and efforts to reduce emissions. Fertilisers are an important input to world’s agricultural and food systems, making it possible to sustain high crop yields and feed a growing world population. At the same time, fertilisers also consume significant quantities of energy and contribute to around 2.4% of global GHG emissions. Efforts to reduce emissions therefore should not come at the expense of affordable food for the world’s poorest, and instead should ensure emissions reduction efforts support equitable and sustainable growth.

Reducing emissions from fertilisers can be made faster and less difficult through international collaboration between producers, governments, farmers and the private sector. Building on the 2024 Breakthrough Agenda Report on Agriculture, this report identifies collaboration priorities in the areas of standards and certification, demand management and creation, international finance and investment, and research and innovation.

Global standards and harmonised frameworks are foundational to progress. Agreed definitions for low- and near-zero emissions fertilisers, lifecycle emissions accounting and certification systems are essential to create a level playing field across markets. Co-ordinated action on soil health indicators and monitoring frameworks can link production innovations to improvements in nutrient use efficiency, crop yields and ecosystem resilience.

Creating demand for low-emissions fertilisers is more effective when major markets act in alignment. Co-ordinated international efforts – including public procurement, blended finance mechanisms and long-term offtake agreements – can send strong market signals that incentivise cleaner production. Joint initiatives between governments and the private sector are needed to ensure that demand-side measures align with climate goals while maintaining food affordability and farmer profitability.

Production-side innovation requires targeted investment and policy support. Scaling up low-emissions ammonia and fertiliser production technologies depends on early-stage finance, technical assistance and cross-border policy alignment. Pilot and demonstration projects, particularly in EMDEs, are critical for testing new technologies and unlocking commercial deployment, while production-focused R&D on energy efficiency, alternative feedstocks and modular facilities can further reduce GHG intensity.

Use-side strategies must complement production changes to maximise impact. Improving nutrient use efficiency, adopting biological and organic inputs, and implementing context-specific soil management practices are critical to reducing GHG emissions from fertiliser application. International collaboration on long-term soil monitoring, data-sharing, and farmer-centred interventions can enable evidence-based approaches that optimise nutrient efficiency, boost yields and restore degraded lands, while avoiding unintended environmental consequences.