The FutureCoal Journey starts now Michelle Manook, Chief Executive Officer FutureCoal
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023 will be remembered as the year when the global coal industry audaciously embraced transformative change.
Commenting as the now Chief Executive of ‘FutureCoal: The Global Alliance for Sustainable Coal,’ I’m proud to say this feat was only accomplished because of a dedicated and committed group of global members, who led the charge on behalf of the entire coal value chain. Having spent nearly three decades in the fossil fuel, energy, and mining sectors, I can’t help but feel the significance of rebranding the World Coal Association’s 38-year legacy to FutureCoal. Like all things coal, it came with the expected criticism. But in the two largest coal economies, China and India, it was met with overwhelming support, signalling a new beginning. This support serves as a powerful reminder that progress can be achieved when the global coal value chain operates with self-belief and unity. In May 2023, our now FutureCoal Board approved this reset, and just six months later, on 20 November, we launched the new organisation in New Delhi, India. In my October/November pre-launch roadshows with high-ranking officials in both Chinese and Indian governments and the captains of industry, spanning the mining, power, steel and cement sectors, our shared vision for a unified
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BBMC Yearbook 2023
alliance was endorsed. For these stakeholders, the only global organisation representing coal now reflected and acknowledged their vision. FutureCoal is intended to reflect a forward-thinking approach while acknowledging our continued involvement with coal. There is no denial or defensiveness. Just ‘coal clarity’. It speaks to the reality of coal’s contribution to our future modern society, even beyond its traditional uses and its commitment to sustainability. This is captured and underpinned by what we term Sustainable Coal Stewardship (SCS) - a pathway that supports extracting more value per tonne of coal. But when we speak of ‘value’, we speak in both economic and environmental terms because these are not mutually exclusive events for coal and its allied sectors. SCS describes an intent, approach, and a much broader definition of the abatement opportunities beyond CO2. It is a roadmap that the entire coal value chain can embrace to modernise and transform their coal and allied businesses (i.e., power, steel, cement, chemicals, fertilisers, coal abatement technologists, etc.), to meet the environmental expectations and advance needs of our interconnected and global society. SCS also emphasises pragmatism, rationality, and objectivity in its approach to achieving a sustainable coal value chain, ensuring that we are realistic and not undermining the very goals we set out to achieve.
FutureCoal is intended to reflect a forwardthinking approach while acknowledging our continued involvement with coal. There is no denial or defensiveness. Just ‘coal clarity’.
