In nature, everything is linked. No activity is environmentally neutral. Marc Lemaire (EcoRes, Groupe One) talks to us about regulation, the circular economy, 'spruce-style' companies and the laws of nature

The fates of humankind, the earth and the economy are closely linked. Nothing we do is without impact on our planet. "However, we have built our world upon the paradigm of separation, which has led to our current environmental situation: an abused planet, biodiversity under threat, excessive carbon emissions and toxic conventional agriculture" deplores Marc Lemaire, commercial engineer and agro-economist and social entrepreneur.

He refers to the limits of planetary resources within which humankind can successfully work and live: "This is a historic moment, but three have already passed, and we are heading for the cliff edge. We have never lost so many species, nor emitted so much CO₂ as we do now! Nevertheless, it is not too late to act, as long as we do so with the right attitude. Marc Lemaire: "We either remain indecisive, or we take responsibility for the state in which we leave the earth for our children, taking into account events such as forest fires in Portugal. Today's climate-related catastrophes are the product of our CO₂ emission rates in 1968!"

According to this logic of separation, it's as if we decided that it was OK for our activities to harm 'the other' with impunity, in this case the environment, resources, fauna, flora, and the earth that is our home. 

Collective, rapid change expected

For William De Vijlder, head economist at the BNP Paribas Group, it is clear that policy can reinstate unity and a connection to the market. The aim should be to encourage economic stakeholders to increase positive externalities through fiscal incentives such as subsidies, taxation or emissions trading, but also to impose standards and sanctions to reduce negative externalities.
Marc Lemaire, a pioneer of the green transition, would like things to move faster: "The Paris Agreement requires every stakeholder to make substantial efforts, but these are hard to monitor." That is only possible for big manufacturers, through agreements at sectoral level which require them to compensate for excess carbon emissions by purchasing green certificates intended to finance renewable energy development projects in the southern hemisphere."

Awareness is growing

Twenty years ago, were many of us truly aware of the consequences of our actions on the planet we will leave to our children? Many were still sceptical about the causes and extent of the damage. Today we have become more clear-sighted. This is an important breakthrough. The link to health is also becoming more and more significant. For example, endocrine disruptors (some can be found in bottles, plastics and inside cans) have been declared a health risk by the WHO. In addition, we have seen an increase in the number of patients suffering from asthma and cases of early puberty. Studies have been published on this topic for the past 15 to 20 years. Today, we have a better understanding of what is at stake.

What is expected of businesses?

These self-same opinionated citizens are also employees who are becoming ever more sensitive to the approach their companies are taking to the fight against climate change; an approach that should be long-term and to the benefit of all, from employees to shareholders and customers. Organisations are now expected to include CO₂ emissions, fine particles and social impact in their accounting and their financial balance sheet. A company's positive contribution to society is becoming a piece of data as significant as its figures and revenue.

Values such as those promoted by pioneers such as Exki have become a model for inspiration. However, according to Marc Lemaire, a law would ensure that the collective interest takes priority: "We need to take a sector-based approach. Coca Cola won't measure itself against an IT company on this issue, and a bank won't compare itself to Unilever. The leaders in each sector should be identified to determine the criteria they work to. Bionade is a lemonade that is manufactured in a fully organic manner, using 100% organic raw materials, and which contains no alcohol. Can their criteria be applied to the whole sector? If so, wouldn't it be a good idea to impose their best practices as the standard for all fizzy drink brands?" proposes Marc Lemaire.

Rubbish is transformed into a new product

Green transition shouldn't be a catch-all that encompasses CSR, a bit of green development and social responsibility. A growing number of company executives understand the importance of taking a sustainable approach, but the steps taken are still insufficient and unconnected. We now need to move onto the next stage and ensure a company's approach is structured around the core of its activities. The concept of a circular economy is gaining traction, and it's not just hype. Marc Lemaire: "We have successfully integrated the need to recycle. It's a nice step, but we are still on a linear path; an economic model that extracts minerals from the earth to meet its needs and then simply throws them away. We do the same with consumables."

We should therefore look to nature and draw inspiration from the laws dictated by common sense. Nothing is wasted in nature. Everything is recreated to be transformed. A living organism that dies will be recovered as nutrients to give life to something else. The cycles of life and death are closely entwined. Only humankind has created the idea of waste.

The circular economy, which is the opposite to a linear one, creates loops and strives to use industrial waste as part of another economic cycle. An example of this is the oil used for deep frying chips, which is no longer thrown away, but used for biodiesel production instead.

The separate management of biological and technical cycles is another basic principle of the circular economy. The inert components, such as the screws and bolts, can be extracted from a wooden chair and then separated from the living parts. The wood can be reintroduced to the biological circuit and live for another cycle. The aim is to give it as many lives as possible. The same can be envisaged for the bolts. Their life span can be extended by recovering them and multiplying their uses in order, in short, to produce less.

How can their lives and use spans be managed? By becoming the owner of the material and ensuring it is traceable as Unicore does. The company buys cobalt from the mines in Katanga and retains responsibility for it.
The service economy also has a role to play in this desire to share resources in a smart way. "I am not going to buy a car that my family and I only use occasionally, instead I am going to use a car rental service. Rental services are expanding into a growing number of sectors, but this has hardly been studied yet," adds Marc Lemaire.

What is the role of a bank?

A bank has an impact on everything, and its effects are mainly indirect as it supports all of its clients' activities. This confers upon it another responsibility. How does Marc Lemaire envisage the role of the bank in the future? "A financial operator has the capacity to make an enormous difference. Like a tree, a bank must be sustainable and a have a desire to live. But if it transcends this role and assumes responsibility as a guardian of the forest, it can promote biodiversity by favouring the birth of new species.

What if, in my forest, there were trees working to deplete the soil, which is degrading significantly? Marc Lemaire: "Imagine if, as a good manager, I decided to sort them by providing less financing to spruce-style companies that deplete the soil and by providing easier access to money for young shoots that want to grow. They are tomorrow's sustainable champions. This isn't something that can be achieved overnight, but in time it should optimise the structure of the bank's portfolio." In other words, banks also have a responsibility to choose how they distribute their energy, either to companies that power the sustainable economy or to spruces that harm the ecosystem.

Producing biogas through fermentation of agricultural waste? That is exactly what they do at Biomethane du Bois d'Arnelle, Belgium's largest production facility in Hainaut.

You can spot the three large grey domes and a cone-shaped roof from a distance in the countryside around Frasnes-lez-Gosselies. This is a biogas production unit. It took its creator and CEO, Jérôme Breton, 12 years to complete this project due to the lack of a legal and administrative framework. But today, the unit is operational, producing 70,000 MWh of energy.

Turning food waste into biomethane

"We recycle food waste and agricultural materials, livestock manure, straw, beet leaves, peelings, etc. from farmers in a 15-km radius around the site", says Jérôme Breton. "We work with 100 farmers for whom this represents additional income. In digesters, i.e., concrete tanks that are heated to 40°C, bacteria digest the material and produce biogas, consisting of 45% CO₂ and 55% CH₄ methane. We recover this biomethane through filtration, before injecting it into the natural gas distribution network. Fermented matter or digestate, a black liquid that is rich in organic matter, which is very nutritious for crops, is spread as a fertiliser in the surrounding region, where it is used to permanently store CO₂ in the soil and completely replaces chemical fertilisers."

Unrivalled performance

About 15% of the biogas is converted into electricity and heat, half of which is used for the unit’s own needs. The remaining 85% is purified and transformed into biomethane. Once it has been injected into the grid, this biomethane can be used as fuel or as a raw material for petrochemicals. It can also be used to power turbines, and the heat generated can be recovered, just like in a car engine. “While a cogeneration engine, which produces electricity and heat simultaneously, has a total efficiency of between 40 and 80%, our system allows 99.5% of the biogas produced to be injected into the grid”, the young entrepreneur explains. "The pressure varies in a distribution network. That way, the infrastructure can absorb injections without the need for additional investments to store them."

Growing to valorise

The company also grows maize, beets and cereals to valorise them as biogas: "We made a deliberate choice to grow 600 hectares of energy crops to offer farmers a complementary diversification pathway. This accounts for 30% of our raw materials. These crops are stored to allow us to 'smooth' the inflows into our digesters, which depend on agricultural and food activity, on a seasonal basis."

BNP Paribas Fortis, the only bank with such advanced skills

Jérôme Breton says the project would not have been possible without the support of BNP Paribas Fortis. "We would not have gotten funding if it wasn't for the work of their expert. It is the only bank to have such high-level skills in-house. All the other partners also benefited from the analyses and information that he provided to us! A strong, lasting relationship of trust has developed as a result. In my model, I didn't want to rely on public financing for what I do. At the same time, I wanted to produce at the right prices. We produce and sell our biomethane at 100 euros per megawatt hour, while market prices were close to 350 euros last August."

Entrepreneurial success

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are particularly proud to be supporting passionate, inspiring entrepreneurs. Because building the entrepreneurship of the future together is also an example of Positive Banking!

Elessent EMEIA is on a mission to make the chemical industry more environmentally friendly and sustainable through innovative methods and cleaner production processes.

"We strive to create cleaner, carbon-free production processes for our customers. Innovation is at the heart of what we do", says Sara Alvarez, Finance Manager at Elessent EMEAI. "We suggest less polluting alternatives to traditional industrial methods, allowing our customers to continue to develop products that are essential to our daily lives while significantly minimising their impact on the environment, particularly in terms of pollutants and CO₂ emissions."

4 key technologies

The metals, fertiliser, chemical and refinery industries make up the majority of the company’s customers, with Elessent EMEAI able to deliver complete turnkey production sites. Tjaart Van Der Walt, Director of Elessent EMEAI: "We have four flagship technologies. The first concerns the manufacture of a compound that is widely used in industry, from fertiliser manufacturers to pigment plants, namely sulphuric acid. This is obtained by burning sulphur. We have 90 years of expertise in site design – we have delivered more than a thousand sites – and process and energy recovery. These processes will be key to producing cleaner batteries."

Increased quality and yield

The company also has alkylation technologies (a reaction that is commonly used in organic chemistry) which is used to produce high octane fuels, for more efficient engines. These compounds are valuable for the petrochemical and refinery industries. "We operate at more than 100 alkylation sites around the world", continues Van Der Walt. "And 25 hydrocarbon hydrotreating sites. This is a crucial step in the refining process, during which some elements are removed from the oil. This includes reducing sulphur and nitrogen content to improve stability. Our proprietary soft hydrocracking technology allows us to recover more value from crude oil."

In addition to these processes, which optimise the quality and yield of hydrocarbons, the company also has “wet scrubbing” technologies, which are very effective in fume treatment.

Financial support and real industry expertise

"Our business is growing on a global scale. For our international expansion, we need the constant support of our bank, BNP Paribas Fortis, which, in addition to assisting us with the financial aspects, contributes its in-depth expertise in our industry", Sara Alvarez explains. "This cooperation is crucial in Morocco, Tunisia, India and South Africa, for example. For our long-term investments in these countries, we benefit from our bank’s advice, particularly in terms of resources and guarantees of payment: secured transactions, letters of credit, etc. The same goes for hedging currency risk, which is essential in the context of volatility. This partnership allows us to continue our international expansion."

Entrepreneurial success

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are particularly proud to be supporting passionate, inspiring entrepreneurs. Because building the entrepreneurship of the future together is also an example of Positive Banking!

Founded in 1974 in Genk, Nitto is now one of the most sustainable companies in the world. By 2045 - five years before Europe -, the company wants to become carbon neutral.

Although Nitto leads by example in terms of sustainability, the public doesn't know the company or its products. "This makes perfect sense because we operate in the B2B segment", explains Sam Strijckmans, CEO of Nitto for Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA). "Our products are mainly used in production processes or as part of a finished product, so there is no direct link with the end consumer. In Genk, we produce industrial adhesive tapes that are used in cars and a range of other applications. That's why we are relatively unknown."

Laptops, tablets and smartphones

But the Nitto Group's presence in our daily lives is very real. Consumer electronics account for more than 50% of its global turnover. "We produce polarising films for all electronic devices with or without touch screen: flat screens, laptops, tablets, smart watches or (foldable) smartphones.
This means that most of the major mobile phone manufacturers are Nitto customers", he says. But there's more: Nitto is also a supplier of the automotive, pharmaceutical, steel, glass, furniture and personal care industries. The Nitto range consists of more than 13,500 products for a wide range of industries.

Platinum medal

In early 2022, EcoVadis, a rating agency that assesses corporate sustainability, awarded Nitto a platinum medal. "We are one of the most sustainable companies in the world. We are very committed to the European Green Deal, a set of initiatives aimed at making the European Union climate neutral by 2050. In fact, we are even more ambitious than the EU, as our goal is to be fully carbon neutral by 2045", Sam Strijckmans says. The Nitto CEO is strongly convinced that sustainability and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand. "Our planet has enough energy, in the form of water, sun and wind, to meet all our needs. The real challenge lies in capturing, storing and distributing this energy. The only answer to this is technological innovation, something to which Nitto is contributing.”

Optimising production processes

Nitto is continuously improving its production processes to ensure that they are more environment-friendly. "The production of protective films and adhesive tapes is a good example of our approach. The glue we use is made from petroleum solvents; when it cures, these solvents evaporate. Under the new method that we adopted, the new solvents that we distil from these vapours can be re-injected into the circuit. That way, we recover 60% of the solvents we use! Soon we will achieve zero emissions, by replacing petroleum solvents with inorganic material, but we are still experimenting with this process", he adds. In terms of electricity, the Nitto EMEA Group has gone 100% green. "But we want to go one step further. The real challenge is not to buy green electricity, but to reduce our energy requirements." Nitto has also succeeded in reducing the ecological footprint of its workforce, with a green car policy and electric lease bikes. "Any company can do this", he is quick to stress.

Energy-efficient products

Developing and offering more sustainable solutions to its customers is another major challenge for Nitto. "Here's an example. On the back of many refrigerators, you still have an evaporator, which looks like a grill. Sometimes this component will ice up, activating a heating element that defrosts it. But this is a very energy-consuming process. We have developed a coating which, when applied to the evaporator, reduces the risk of icing. The heating element is thus activated less frequently, reducing energy consumption in the process. This can amount to a reduction of 165 grammes of CO₂ per day for a fridge, or 60 kilogrammes a year. This may not seem much, but if you bear in mind that there are still two million European refrigerators with evaporators, this boils down to a total reduction of 120,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year", says Nitto EMEA's CEO.

Sustainability engrained in the company's DNA 

BNP Paribas Fortis has been Nitto’s financial partner for several decades. According to Sam Strijckmans, this makes perfect sense: "The bank shares our environment-friendly philosophy. Sustainability is ingrained in their DNA, and ours too. The new BNP Paribas Fortis headquarters, which are almost energy-neutral, are ample proof of this. And so is socially responsible investment (SRI), thanks to the bank's very broad range of sustainable financial products. But we also look to the bank for inspiration, for example through the organisation of seminars and panel discussions on eco-conscious leadership."

Entrepreneurial success

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are particularly proud to be supporting passionate, inspiring entrepreneurs. Because building the entrepreneurship of the future together is also an example of Positive Banking!

In light of the current environmental challenges, Farming for Climate supports the agroecological transition of Belgian farmers by raising the required financing with national companies, including BNP Paribas Fortis.

"Mum, dad, how can we take action on climate?" It is this question that led to the creation of Farming for Climate, a non-profit organisation founded by a group of parents from the world of business. Their ambition? To incentivise farmers and accelerate their transition to agroecology. "Following the climate marches by young people in 2018, we wondered how we could play an active role on our level. How could we make a local contribution to combating global warming, biodiversity loss and their consequences?", explains Christophe Adant, who is an impact entrepreneur at Farming for Climate.

Caring for people and nature

Initially, they started thinking about organic food boxes. But as they learned more about the production chain, these volunteers came to the conclusion that they could have a much greater impact by promoting agroecology. "In the current climate crisis, agriculture is both a victim and partly responsible, as it generates 20–25% of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time it has to deal with dry soils due to drought, flooding, among others", he adds. "The agricultural sector can also be part of the solution, however: agroecology is a smart approach to agriculture, which takes care of both humans and nature. This means, among other things, that 3 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare per year can be captured or avoided. It also has benefits in terms of restoring biodiversity, preserving soil quality, water management, producing healthy, local food, and so on. That’s why we wanted to support our farmers on their agro-ecological transition pathway."

Taking the agroecology leap

Farming for Climate offers companies financial support for transition projects that are implemented by Belgian farms. "The support consists of specialised advice, as well as investments in equipment, trees, seeds, etc. The yield loss during the transition period, from three to five years, is also compensated. Finally, we are also creating a community of farmers in transition, to generate synergies, inspire, or overcome the fear of change", explains Christophe Adant. The sponsoring companies, meanwhile, make a commitment with a concrete, immediate and local impact. "Planting trees in a country on the other side of the world has its merits. But our soils, hedges and orchards also need the support of our companies!"

BNP Paribas Fortis, partnering with Farming for Climate

A message that did not fall on deaf ears at BNP Paribas Fortis, which joined forces with Farming for Climate. "The bank has developed financial products, with part of the profit dedicated to financing transitional projects on ten Belgian farms, i.e., almost 443 hectares. In other words, in choosing this product, the bank’s customers contribute to change on the local level", he says. In addition to this impact, links and synergies are established between farmers and businesses. "An example? There is a Walloon brewer who has incorporated the agricultural production of the farm it supports in its value chain, to produce 100% local, carbon-capturing beer. " The loop has thus been closed, but at Farming for Climate, which is involved in various regional and European “green” initiatives, the buck doesn't stop there. “By 2030, we want to assist 1,000 farms in transition, i.e., we want to capture and avoid 300,000 tonnes of CO₂!"

Entrepreneurial success

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are particularly proud to be supporting passionate, inspiring entrepreneurs. Because building the entrepreneurship of the future together is also an example of Positive Banking!