Nickel is the fifth most abundant element on Earth. In the Philippines, the hard and silvery-white metal known for its ductility and resistance to heat and corrosion is not hard to miss.
In fact, the country is second only to Indonesia as the world’s biggest supplier of the valuable element.
Extremely useful in making various materials, Nickel is the metal that makes up almost everything that humans use, from everyday coins to high-caliber medical equipment.
“It is something we use every day. We see it every day,” said Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. (FNI) President Atty. Dante R. Bravo in an interview with Manila Standard at their Makati office recently.
The amiable company executive says that every day, we use and encounter an end product made entirely out of or in part by nickel. From food consumption to essential hospital supply, nickel is important to humans.
“Actually nickel has thousands of applications to make our lives comfortable, make our lives safer, and make our lives more convenient and modernized,” Atty. Bravo further said.
From coinage to aerospace, DRB, as he is fondly called by his FNI family, says nickel is “so important” to humans that its “practically hard to live without nickel.”
"Our mission is to deliver value by carrying out our activities in an environmentally, socially and financially responsible manner for the benefit of the nation, the communities where we operate, our employees, customers and other stakeholders." – Atty. Dante R. Bravo
Given that the natural resource is abundant and in many aspects a key driver for growth in a myriad of industries, is there a way for people to take advantage of its benefits without harming the environment? FNI is conscious of it’s role in environment protection. That’s why FNI, together with its operating arm Platinum Group Metals Corporation (PGMC), is at the forefront of sustainable mining practices, a duty the company is committed to spearhead as a leading nickel ore producer.
And their efforts have not been put to waste. PGMC has been given the 2019 Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA) Platinum Achievement Award in the Surface Mining Operation Category, a feat the company says is an affirmation of their sincere drive for responsible mining.
“It’s a confirmation of our being a responsible and responsive mining company,” said Atty. Bravo. This is not the first time they won an award for pioneering ethical standards in the mining industry. For years FNI has been adhering to the best global practices in all facets of their operations especially on environmental and socio-economic requirements.
“We are ISO certified, we use modern practices, the best equipment, the best software to help us optimize the use of our resources,” said Atty. Bravo.
Talking about how their recent achievement will impact their future operations, he says this will inspire the company to become more efficient and to show the regulators, the public, and their people that they are “doing things right.”
“We want to show that there’s integrity in what we do and that we also want to be a shining example for other mining companies. Because in the end, really, mining companies are also leaders in environment protection,” adds Atty. Bravo.
FNI looks forward to not only being compliant with the standards but becoming the standard in sustainable growth.