With the selection of its new laureates, the Sustainable Materials and Energy Management Fund, financed by Indaver and Sleco, is wagering on transition, an idea that also lies close to the heart of our own company

The Sustainable Materials and Energy Management Fund, a unique collaboration between Indaver and the environmental movement, has for six years already been supporting innovative projects that teach Flemings to deal more sustainably with materials and energy. This fund perfectly matches our image, because for over 25 years now we’ve been transforming waste into raw materials and energy.

Reaching as many people as possible

The King Baudouin Foundation, which administers the Fund, has published the list of laureates for the sixth call of the Sustainable Materials and Energy Management Fund. The 17 large and small-scale projects correspond to the core values that we as a company wish to fulfil: projects that reduce man´s impact on the environment – with a concern for human beings, safety and the environment. Innovative projects that strive to achieve an enduring result – continuous improvement. Ten local projects together received 25,000 euros, while 7 projects that address a broader public received a total of 161,000 euros. In its six years of existence, the Fund has already supported projects in Flanders for an overall amount of 857,000 euros.

Transition

Over the past six years, the Fund´s independent jury has crowned projects with widely differing target groups and themes, such as ecological school transportation or the environmental impact of music festivals. Moreover, the Fund seeks to support new trends, and it is doing so once again this year with money for projects focused on "transition" – the idea that a real transformation is necessary in the ways we produce and consume. Indaver is itself a partner in this quest, including via “Plan C” – the Flemish Transition Network Sustainable Materials Management – that seeks innovative ways to create closed circuits.
For example, with Sharing is Caring, the Conscious Consumer Network wishes to raise the awareness of Flemings about ´consusharing´ - the lending, exchanging, sharing or renting of products. This project goes hand in hand with that of the Federation for a Better Environment, which is receiving money in order to stimulate solutions for such shared consuming. The non-profit association Labeur vzw is working on yet another theme that lies close to Indaver´s heart: material recovery through re-using construction waste for designer furniture. I was also charmed by the initiative of two fathers in Boechout, who via a website want to help people to map out and reduce their energy consumption.

New call

It is this surprising diversity of projects revolving around the valorisation of materials and energy that Indaver wishes to promote with the Fund. As I look over the list of laureates, I note that in the meantime everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. And for anyone who has a bright idea: a seventh call is coming this fall!

Paul De Bruycker
CEO
 

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