The European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) is oversubscribed with a total of approximately €300 million (targeted initially 250). With the final closing of the subscription, the international team of the ECBF was able to gain the trust of further investors for the implementation of its mission.
Commitments made in advance and during COP26 have put keeping global warming to 1.5°C within reach, accelerating investment towards net zero emissions. Stronger policies and 2030 targets are still required to unlock the trillions of dollars required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“Global warming of above 1.5°C presents irreversible, foreseeable and large-scale risks to investors and financial markets,” Rebecca Mikula-Wright, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), said. “The commitments that have come out ahead and as part of Glasgow have been significant but global action is still falling short.
US biotech company Genomatica closed $118 million in Series C funding to accelerate the global commercialization and expansion of sustainable materials, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons per year. Leading life science investor Novo Holdings led the round, with additional participation by existing and new investors including Viking Global Investors, Casdin Capital and others. Genomatica will use the investment to scale production for its portfolio of products and continue investing in new technologies to amplify the impact of sustainable materials across a range of industries.
The European Commission announced last Thursday, during the International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy which was held in Rome, the first closing at €82m of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), the first equity fund focused on the bioeconomy and on circularity in the EU and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries under management of the ECBF Management GmbH. The European Investment Bank (EIB), which committed to invest a total of €100m to the target size of the ECBF of €250m, raised €65m in the first closing, the rest came from private investors.
International investor groups, including the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), have encouraged global governments to ensure they are planning for a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by factoring in climate change risk into economic recovery plans.
BlackRock is the latest signatory to Climate Action 100+, an unprecedented global investor engagement initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.
With the addition of the world’s largest asset manager, with more than $6.8 trillion USD in assets under management, Climate Action 100+ continues to grow in size and influence. BlackRock joins more than 370 global investors already participating in the initiative. The addition of funds it manages, brings total assets under management represented by investors participating in Climate Action 100+ to more than $41 trillion.
“BlackRock is one of the largest and most influential asset managers in the world and will bring even more heft to investor engagement through Climate Action 100+,” said Emily Chew current Climate Action 100+ Steering Committee Chair and Global Head of ESG Research and Integration at Manulife Investment Management. “We look forward to working with BlackRock to build on the initiative’s success and work to ensure companies take the urgent and necessary action needed in response to the climate crisis.” Continue reading
Metsä Spring, Metsä Group’s innovation company, has made an equity investment in Woodio Ltd, a leading developer of waterproof wood composite products. The financing round totals approximately EUR 4 million, and Metsä Spring participates in the round together with current investors Ardent Venture BV, Finow Ltd, NextStone Ltd and Valve Ventures Ltd.
French Industrial biotech company Afyren, which produces high-value bio-based building blocks to manufacture acids using fermentation technologies, has completed a 21 million euro round of fundraising, led by Sofinnova Partners and Valquest Partners, bringing on board Supernova, Crédit Agricole Création and Crédit Agricole Centre France alongside its historical shareholders AFY Partners and Sofimac Régions (Sofimac and the Jérémie Innovation 1 and 2 funds).
IL BIOECONOMISTA 