At end of life, carbon embedded in chemicals and derived materials is released to the atmosphere as CO_₂. In the case of fossil-based feedstock, this contributes to global warming. For CCU-based feedstock this is not the case, since all carbon embedded in these products was captured from the air (or from point sources) before through carbon capture. In a simplified model, additional emissions only electricity production for causes emissions for CCU-based feedstock production. Only the use of renewable energy can save emissions.
The GHG emissions of CCU-based methanol could be 67 to 77 % lower compared to emissions from releasing embedded carbon of fossil fuels, when using current energy supply based on photovoltaics. With improvements in renewable energy production, the reduction could increase to levels between 96 and 100 %.

It is a plausible scenario to assign methanol (CH_₃OH) a central role in supplying the chemical industry of the future. Already today, methanol plays an important role in the chemical industry, being one of the most established commodities.

CCU-based process route for production of methanol includes production of hydrogen via electrolysis, CO_₂ capture from the atmosphere or from industrial point sources, and the hydrogenation reaction. Electricity demand for these processes is represented by red arrows. Above the arrow, the specific energy demand is stated, below, the contribution of the process to the total electricity demand of 1 t of methanol is stated. Purification and compression of hydrogen are neglected. For CO_₂ hydrogenation, a complete reaction is assumed.