An EU-funded project called MECALO aims to revolutionize the production of silicon and manganese in Europe by developing a new production method that uses renewable hydrogen and carbon recycling. While hydrogen can replace fossil carbon in metallurgical processes like iron production, it cannot directly replace carbon in the production of essential metals like silicon and manganese. These metals are crucial for environmentally friendly technologies like wind turbines, batteries, electric vehicles, and solar cells. The project targets achieving a 95% reduction in CO2 emissions from silicon and manganese production, replacing coal imports with hydrogen, and saving 33 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2050. MECALO, which started in October 2024 under the Horizon Europe framework, involves a consortium of 15 partners from 8 different countries and industries. The collaboration aims to make the production of silicon and manganese cleaner and more sustainable, with water vapor as the only emission. The project can strengthen Norway's position as a sustainable supplier of these metals to the EU, leveraging its hydropower resources. The technology developed by MECALO can be applied to various carbon reduction processes, offering a more environmentally friendly approach to metal production.