KGC by Carlo Figa’ Talamanca

Experience of an Italian entrepreneur in the energy/green business sector in Cambodia
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Graduated with honors with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Tor Vergata University of Rome, Carlo Figa’ Talamanca is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environment industry. After moving to Cambodia, he started leveraging his engineering skills and management experience as the owner of Khmer Green Charcoal (KGC) and the founder of Otago.

? This article captured keynotes from his speech “Experience of an Italian entrepreneur in Cambodia in energy/green business sector” in the webinar “Italy and Cambodia – Discover the opportunities of business collaboration between the two countries.”

Khmer Green Charcoal’s competitive advantage 

Since 2012,  KGC has produced char briquettes, a renewable and clean energy provider. We are still a small-medium-sized enterprise with only 45 employees, a production capacity, and sales of about 1200 tons per year.

We have a unique technology developed here in Cambodia, which gives us a competitive advantage worldwide. In addition, KGC is the leader in product quality, production technology, and production capacity making it one of the biggest factories operating in a developing country such as Cambodia.

We have been growing for the last eight years. Furthermore, being located conveniently (in Phnom Penh), we can serve the Asian market and access shipping roads to Europe. As a result, we have been regularly exporting to Japan and Germany.

KGC’s contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

We are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. We can reduce CO2 emissions and save Cambodia’s forests from deforestation. We have saved a forest area of about 800 football fields from illegal deforestation during our ten years of operation. We also collaborate with NGOs and try to impact social development by hiring people from disadvantaged communities.

The importance of Key stakeholder’s partnerships

We collaborate with Cambodian and Italian universities. We work with EuroCham Cambodia with the Green Business Committee to discuss incentives for renewable energy. Recently we’ve started projects with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. We are also working with the Forestry Administration to protect Cambodian forests better.

What are the KGC’s plans for the future?

We have a very ambitious growth plan for 2022. First, we plan to increase our local production by building a new factory. We will also employ innovative technologies and develop a more advanced sales and distribution system based on an app.

? Click here to view Mr. Carlo Figa’ Talamanca’s interview online.

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