Global Trade Diplomacy Expands as Low-Carbon Partnerships Take Center Stage

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, February 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Society for Low Carbon Technologies (SFLCT) continues to strengthen international collaboration, working with governments, industry, and innovators to advance low-carbon solutions and trade diplomacy. A key example is the Antwerp-Houston Innovation Mission, a trade delegation focused on technology and clean-tech startups. Led by Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), linked to the Government of Flanders within Belgium, this initiative demonstrated SFLCT’s role in fostering global cooperation, market expansion, and commercialization. Building on this, SFLCT is gearing up its support for the Scottish Government’s 2025 trade delegation, focused on carbon capture and hydrogen.

Beyond trade diplomacy, SFLCT has played a key role in advancing low-carbon initiatives across multiple regions. The organization met with Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Agency to promote deploying additional clean technologies for air quality improvement and shaped what is now Brazil’s landmark Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) law, while also engaging with the U.S. Department of Energy. These efforts reflect SFLCT’s broader mission to drive real-world implementation of low-carbon technologies.

This is why, in Houston, SFLCT representatives met with Filip Vanden Bulcke, Belgian Consul General and former Diplomatic Advisor to the Belgian Prime Minister, to support FIT’s work in strengthening Europe-America trade relations. This reflects SFLCT’s ability to facilitate global cooperation across multiple markets. Additionally, SFLCT Chairman Fernando C. Hernandez, an award-winning mentor with the U.K.'s Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), directly mentored Aquature (in 2022) at NZTC before the startup joined the trade delegation, extending organic ties and impact. His experience in commercialization and technology scaling, recognized by the Scottish Government and NZTC, provided startups with insights into navigating international markets.

SFLCT fosters cross-sector cooperation, bringing together governments, investors, clean-tech entrepreneurs, and industry stakeholders. Hernandez highlighted the organization’s vision, stating: “We are developing a scalable, multi-country framework for low-carbon and clean-tech trade diplomacy—ensuring that each engagement delivers long-term impact.” A unique demonstration of this commitment is the strategic member exchange between SFLCT and Energy Tech Nexus (ETN), reinforcing cross-organizational engagement at multiple levels. Hernandez and ETN Co-Founder Juliana Garaizar serve on each other’s organizations, while SFLCT Co-Founder and Government Affairs Director Alissa Nixon and ETN Co-Founder Nada Ahmed do so as well.

By separately engaging in the Antwerp-Houston Innovation Mission, both ETN and SFLCT assisted FIT’s efforts to connect U.S. companies with opportunities in Flanders, Belgium, while advancing clean energy initiatives. It is important to note that at a British Consulate-supported net-zero event, where ETN was a supporting organization, the Scottish Government recognized SFLCT’s net-zero and international initiatives. This speaks to the low-carbon organization’s Track 1.5 diplomacy model for governmental interactions.

Looking forward, SFLCT remains focused on worldwide alliances that drive knowledge-sharing, resource mobilization, and commercialization—critical factors in advancing sustainable solutions. This commitment was further supported by SFLCT’s Community Affairs Director, Kattya Distefano, ensuring SFLCT’s active participation in the trade delegation.

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