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We have updated the Roadmap to Net Zero Report. Thank you Ecotextile News and Simon Glover for the coverage. "The data is clear," the report concludes. "While the apparel industry is making progress, the pace of change is far short of what is needed to meet our ambitious climate targets. We must set bold emissions reduction goals and we must act now." It notes that more than 500 apparel, footwear and textiles companies now have approved science-based climate targets, or commitments to set them, compared to "roughly a dozen" five years ago. Aii and its partners have set a goal of reducing apparel sector emissions by 100 million tonnes (Mt) by 2030. To achieve this they launched the $250 million Fashion Climate Fund in a bid to unlock a further $2 billion in capital for decarbonisation projects. "According to this report’s latest analysis, a reduction of 100 Mt constitutes approximately 11% of 2022 emissions. While significant, we urge all actors in the apparel value chain to unite with us, committing resources to usher in a net-zero future," said Perkins and Sadowski in their foreword.

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Great perspective Peter Ford. Your insights on the Fashion Transparency Index 2023 are strong! H&M continues to lead the pack on measuring up in transparency, climate action and sustainability. 🌍👗 #FashionTransparency #Sustainability #FashionIndustry #H&M Fashion Revolution

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Do take a read of Jonathan Bean's thoughts as he spoke with MD One Ventures's Kelvin Au regards the fascinating work ongoing at Materials Nexus!

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Stop this removal-only obsession in the carbon markets. What kind of hare-brained approach is that? We need avoidance even more than we need removals. This article reminds me of the analogy I made a few months ago about a sinking boat. No amount of bailing water with buckets will save you if the hole in the hull is getting bigger. Remember, if deforestation was a country, it would be the world's third largest emitter. And no, you cannot just demand/legislate that poor rural people stop deforesting without providing alternative income. That is why forest carbon exists. It takes some form of totalitarian mindset (and/or total lack of understanding of rural economies)to think one can just ban things they do not like. https://lnkd.in/eCddBRwt

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By now you all know that the apparel industry is responsible for 2% of global GHG emissions. Recent studies by the World Resources Institute and Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) stress the need for systemic change. In November 2023, Aii convened key leaders at the Bellagio Center, The Rockefeller Foundation, transforming ideas into concrete actions. This gathering unlocked opportunities for manufacturers to invest in decarbonization with the support of apparel brands and financials institutions. Special thanks to the The Rockefeller Foundation for their support to Aii and Sarah Troup Geisenheimer for co-authoring this piece. Click the link to read more about our findings and solutions. https://lnkd.in/gwH7cTmJ

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We had the pleasure of speaking to the inimitable Gordon Sanghera, co-founder and CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, valued at around $6.8bn in 2021. Gordon somewhat accidentally ended up as an entrepreneur, breaking the conventional VC wisdom around 'born founders'. The technology is wild - democratising access to genomic sequencing giving us a new understanding of living organisms. In the episode of Riding Unicorns, we cover: 00:00 Defining Entrepreneurship 00:55 Understanding Oxford Nanopore's Technology 06:10 Gordon's Journey to Founding Oxford Nanopore 12:09 Commercialization Challenges and Strategies 16:27 Building a Strong Founding Team 20:55 Navigating the Ups and Downs of Deep Tech 25:54 Innovative Applications of Nanopore Technology 28:57 Company Culture and Operational Insights 35:05 Attracting Talent in a Competitive Market 37:22 The IPO Experience and Future Outlook https://lnkd.in/eQZVSGeK

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🌱 Apeiron Venture Capital Makes Its First Investment in Green Construction Tech Startup Circuland 🚀 When most people see a building, Circuland sees a Materials Bank. Let me explain. 👇 🌍 The construction industry is responsible for a staggering 40% of global carbon emissions and accounts for 62% of all waste generated in the UK. Yet, despite the scale of the problem, technological innovation in this sector has lagged behind. That’s where Circuland comes in. Circuland is revolutionizing the industry by enabling circular economy practices with its innovative Digital Material Passports. These passports ensure that every building material can be tracked, reused, and repurposed—cutting down waste and turning buildings into valuable resource hubs 🔁. Despite being a young startup, Circuland has already gained traction with Fortune 500 companies and leading construction groups across the UK and Europe 🏗️🌍. At Apeiron, we’re incredibly excited to back the vision of Anastasia Stella (Co-Founder & CEO) and Angelo Mermiklis (Co-Founder & CTO). Their mission to transform buildings into large-scale data warehouses, drive material reuse, and promote data-driven decision-making in property maintenance is exactly the kind of future we want to help build. 🏢💡 This is just the beginning. 🌿✨ 👀  Full-fledged PR in the first comment - current openings in 🇬🇷 in the second comment. 👀 

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We are glad to welcome team number 14 in our Climate Founders portfolio: Hula Earth! 🎉 🌍 💚 The climate crisis and biodiversity loss are described as sibling crisis with strong interdependencies. Therefore we decided to jump into biodiversity topics and start with the foundational layer: proprietary data. As biodiversity is incredible complex, the first steps to take action are about understanding nature by collecting data to an extend never seen before and a proper analysis of this data. This will help to take action, avoiding negative measures in the supply chains for agriculture related companies and to funnel investments in restoration and nature positive measures. Think about food companies, fashion companies, cosmetics companies and many more. They are strongly depended on mother nature's output. More than half of the global GDP depends on nature. $44 trillion economic value. Those companies have a strong motivation to invest in a good relationship and health of their by far most important supplier and they already start to invest. Hula is here to accelerate that. Combined with political actions like the European Nature Restoration Law to restore 20% of degraded land & sea by 2030 and similar laws in UK and other countries we currently create a chance for nature and biodiversity to recover partly. But we probably don't have many chances to do it right, as time and money are limiting factors, therefore a good understanding of what we do and how we funnel money will be crucial to succeed. Hula Earth found a fantastic mix between accuracy with their BioT-Sensors and scalability with satellite data. This combination can be able to create the data foundation we need, as fast as possible in high quality. Thank you Florian Geiser & David Schmider for your trust! Let's change - or better - let's protect the world together! Have a look at Hula Earth website: https://hula.earth/ If you are a climate or biodiversity startup before your first funding round, check out our remote acceleration program and apply until September 27th: https://lnkd.in/diWDSpnw

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While Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and its partners across the value chain have made significant strides in reducing CO2 emissions through the creation of a collaborative community of practice with a shared costs/ pooled funding model, it's very clear that we face a challenging task. This model, which invests in solutions that demonstrate proven CO2 reductions, potential for wide-reaching impact, and scalability, is a strong step forward. However, the ongoing growth of the industry continues to drive up CO2 emissions. So, now what? To truly transform the environmental impact of fashion, we must rapidly build a system where apparel and accessories are produced with zero negative impact—clean water, clean energy, and net zero emissions. Until we achieve this, it's crucial that more players join this initiative. We urge you to step off the sidelines. Be Bold & Brave! Advocate for this cause within your company. Highlight the importance of future-proofing your brand, mitigating associated risks, and securing the future of the sector. The call to action is clear: own your role in this work & commit with greater dedication and focus on achieving meaningful outcomes now. [Thank you Jasmin Malik Chua & Sourcing Journal for covering this important topic and out work at Apparel Impact Institute]

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Venture Capital and Cleantech: Investing in a Sustainable Future https://buff.ly/3VxjXzT 'Exploring the intersection of Venture Capital and Cleantech presents a compelling opportunity to invest in a sustainable future. By channeling resources into innovative green technologies, investors can drive positive environmental impact while securing financial returns. In today's rapidly evolving market, the demand for sustainable solutions is on the rise, making Cleantech investments more promising than ever. Embracing this shift towards eco-friendly practices not only benefits the planet but also creates long-term value for stakeholders. Stay ahead of the curve and reap the rewards of investing in a cleaner, greener tomorrow. #SustainableInvesting #GreenTechRevolution'

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Striking: Zenobē, a UK climate tech startup, raised £600m from KKR and £270m from Infracapital, bypassing VC entirely. Zenobe captures excess energy from wind farms to stabilize the grid and reduce gas power reliance. This means: Zenobe secured one of 2023's biggest startup fundraises — without any venture capital. #battery #fundraising #venturecapital #energystorage #infrastructure #growthinflection Sifted: https://lnkd.in/g8wF-xA5

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🔬 The transition towards biomanufacturing, and the move away from traditional, energy-intensive processes in industry is creating unprecedented opportunities for start-ups. Understanding the investor's perspective in this space can help founders prepare more effectively for their fundraise. Investment Manager, Dr Marina Fuentes, details the most critical aspects Mercia Ventures and other investors look for at the Series A stage. Read more ⏬ #BioManufacturing #Blog #Investor #VentureCapital #Investment #SeriesA #Founders #Opportunity #Learning

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3D printing is having a breakout moment, turning its long held promise into a reality that is arriving at pace and at scale. Over the next 5 years: - Consumers will expect customized products at scale - Computers will surpass human creativity and skill in product design - New infrastructure is needed to protect IP if anything can be printed anywhere  - Global supply chains will be meaningfully dismantled as products get printed at their point of sale I sat down with Philip DeSimone, Co-founder of Carbon, the most advanced 3D printing company already operating at scale serving customers in 17 countries ranging from Adidas to Ford. With over 300 patents filed, Carbon has raised $680M from the likes of Sequoia, Temasek, and Google. Check out 5YF Episode #14: 3D printing breakthroughs, AI designed products, mass customization, spare body parts, dismantling global trade, IP piracy, and the future of production w/ Carbon Co-founder Philip DeSimone https://pod.fo/e/234185 #3Dprinting

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Excited to share that Mati Carbon has made it to the Top 20 finalists — selected from more than 1,300 teams across 88 countries over 3 years of assessment — in the last stage of #XPRIZECarbonRemoval competition, with a grand prize of $50mn to be awarded to the winners in 2025! 🌍 In only 2024, Mati is on track to deliver more than $1mn in increased income for the smallholder and marginal farmers earning less than $4-$10/day in the Global South (via ~20-30% boosted crop yields and pesticide reduction). Mati aims to touch 50,000 farmers just by 2025, with several corporate buyers from the @Frontier, Milkywire etc program secured already, with initial CDR tons delivered as well (Stripe, Shopify, H&M, Klarna, Spotify etc); 🌍 The above #SDG1 developmental impact is besides the strengthened climate adaptation and resilience (#A&R) impact for the small farmers — enabled via 'regenerative' impact on the soil itself of ERW (enhanced health, fertility and water retention). High integrity engineered carbon removals (#CDRs) via EWR trading at >$300/ton price can play a pivotal role towards the ~$300bn annual adaptation finance gap in the Global South. I argue more on this here: https://lnkd.in/epz2BJQQ 🌍 Mati was chosen top 20 by XPRIZE with its demonstrated operational maturity to remove carbon at scale through its high-permanence enhanced rock weathering (ERW) approach; and Mati with an ambition to remove 1 million tons annually by 2030. XPRIZE Carbon Removal’s Top 20 finalists are paving the way forward to achieve carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at a gigatonne scale by 2050 — via various technologies across Air, Land, Rocks and Oceans — congratulations to all the winners! #Gettingtogigaton Shantanu Agarwal Jake Jordan

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🚨Boom! 8090 Industries portfolio company Armada led by Dan Wright and Jon Runyan lands another $40M led by Microsoft marking $100M raised to date after announcing its Series A and coming out of stealth in 2023 just 7 months ago and shares new customer partnerships with Haliburton and Skydio. 🌪 “Extreme situations like hurricanes reinforce the need for “edge” computing, the practice of processing data locally rather than sending it back to the cloud. “Lots of oil and gas companies are really very concerned about these types of disasters. You can’t have any latency. You have to be able to respond in real time.” Dan Wright, cofounder and CEO of Armada, While disaster response is the obvious application, Armada’s edge technology also has a big role to play in all sorts of remote environments where uninterrupted data access is critical. Think real-time safety monitoring at high-risk worksites, real-time emissions tracking for oil rigs, and automated operations for mines. In regards to the newly inked partnership with Microsoft: It’s a natural fit, says Pradeep Nair Armada’s founding CTO and a 10-year veteran of Microsoft’s Azure business. “If you look at all of these customers we’re hitting—oil, gas, and mining—these guys are legacy, traditional customers and Microsoft is their biggest vendor,” he says. The partnership with Microsoft “opens up the whole pipeline, without us needing to go through the whole procurement process.” Cc Kerem Ozmen Garuth A. Wes Mendenhall Filip Vurdelja Haluk Sabanci Dincer Grant Brown Ishan Meswani Andrew Irwin Shilpa Patel

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🚀 Tech Tour Energy & Decarbonisation 2024 🌍 It’s been an fantastic experience connecting with great founders in the energy tech space, catching up with some of our amazing Vireo Ventures portfolio companies, and engaging with LPs, co-investors, and fellow VC funds. With 80 startups showcasing their innovations to 140 investors and corporates, the event was a testament to the immense potential and innovation driving the energy-tech sector. 🌟 The quality and passion of the founders I met reaffirm that the future of energy is bright—and we’re just getting started! We're excited about the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to collaborate with some of the inspiring companies and investors from the event. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in energy and decarbonisation. #EnergyTech #VentureCapital #Decarbonisation #Innovation #Sustainability #TechTour

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🌍💡 Embracing Interoperability: The Evolution of Carbon Markets 💡🌍 The landscape of carbon markets is rapidly evolving, with a significant shift towards fungibility and interoperability. What does this mean? We (at the SoHo Global Climate Fund) spoke with leading climate fund manager, Charles Bedford of Carbon Growth Partners, to shed light on this important trend in the carbon markets. It's about creating seamless connections between compliance and voluntary markets, allowing for the exchange and recognition of carbon credits across borders and sectors. This trend marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts towards combating climate change. By enabling carbon credits to be fungible and interoperable, we're fostering a more efficient and scalable approach to carbon pricing and emissions reduction strategies. Companies and organizations now have greater flexibility to participate in markets that align with their goals. #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #Fungibility #Interoperability #Sustainability #Innovation #GlobalImpact

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COP28: Where Does All the Funding Go? Examining Transparency and Environmental Impact in Climate Finance The flow of funding, and what actual impact does it have on the environment? The Transparency Challenge When it comes to climate finance, transparency is vital but also elusive. Climate funding typically flows through a complex maze of organizations, financial institutions, private-sector initiatives, and government programs. While intentions may be laudable, the lack of consistent tracking and disclosure across these entities poses a barrier to understanding precisely how much funding reaches tangible environmental initiatives versus how much stays within bureaucratic or financial layers. For example, funding allocated by developed nations for green projects in developing countries often loses value through intermediaries and is subject to various administrative costs. This dilutes the amount that ultimately reaches projects on the ground, creating a transparency gap that can undermine public trust. Without clear, standardized disclosure on where funds are spent, it’s nearly impossible to hold investors and institutions accountable. Real Impact or Greenwashing? A further complication is the rising prevalence of “greenwashing”—where companies and institutions market themselves as environmentally responsible without making substantive contributions to sustainability. In the face of COP28’s commitments, some organizations announce green investments primarily for the sake of public relations, funneling resources into projects that offer limited or superficial benefits for the environment. This misleading practice diverts attention from truly impactful projects that could bring about lasting environmental change, such as reforestation, regenerative agriculture, or clean energy development. Ensuring that funding translates into real impact requires rigorous standards, auditing, and verification. Without such oversight, even the most well-meaning investments risk falling short, creating an illusion of action without substantial. The opportunity cost of misallocated funds is significant. Instead of driving innovation in clean technologies or supporting frontline communities impacted by climate change, these trillions of dollars could have made strides in decarbonization or climate resilience. The ripple effect of this misallocation reaches across generations, locking in environmental challenges that could otherwise be addressed proactively. A Call for Accountability Real-time investment tracking, such as initiatives by certain financial platforms to provide full transparency and accountability, sets a benchmark for the future of climate finance. An ecosystem of transparent investment vehicles can inspire confidence in the climate commitments made by institutions worldwide, turning pledges into action that is both measurable and effective.

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Will impact investors turn their back on fashion? Great piece by Megan Doyle for Vogue Business on the growing pressure on fashion brands to accelerate sustainability progress. ASN Impact Investors' decision to divest from major fashion brands due to insufficient progress sends a clear message to the industry: it's time to move from promises to measurable action. At Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), we believe that investors can play a pivotal role in this transformation. As I shared in the article, “Investors should engage deeply with brands to understand where progress is being made and recalibrate expectations to support long-term environmental and social goals.” This divestment highlights the need for transparent results, not just commitments. https://lnkd.in/gJkWiGqQ. Kudos to Megan Doyle for sparking this important conversation. #Sustainability #ImpactInvesting #FashionClimateAction

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