What I love about working at FMO is that it allows me to contribute a little bit to a world with less poverty and less waste. In my view waste does not exist, in nature waste does not exist, and I would like to live in a world wherein waste is not discarded but rather used as input for new products.
At FMO we pursue business with a lot of innovative companies. In Thailand, for example, there is a power plant on a landfill in Bangkok, one of the biggest cities in South-East Asia. Every day the landfill receives incredibly large amounts of waste containing a lot of organic matter disposed of by the citizens of Bangkok. The waste is transported to the landfill site where a carefully designed system of plastic pipes collects methane that the (organic) waste produces. After the methane is collected, it is burned to produce energy, turning on the light for many Thai.
There are many ways in which waste can be used to produce electricity. In India for example, this is done by using bagasse, a waste product from sugarcane, the plant that forms the basis for sugar. Despite being waste, bagasse still has caloric value that can be used to boil water and produce steam, for example. The steam from the water is used in the factories in the sugar refining process and by an electricity producing generator. The bagasse that is left over after sugar season can be used to produce more energy.
Bagasse is being collected to make power (India)
I find it great to work on these kinds of projects. They not only put our banking skills to the test but fall right in the heart of the new FMO strategy "double impact and half footprint". The new strategy is a courageous step towards finding, financing these types of clients and following leaders in the countries where we invest. This requires persistence, creativity, innovation and client mindfulness - all qualities that I see in my colleagues at FMO.