Institutionals and corporate
Gautier Quéru, investment director and Land Degradation Neutrality Fund project manager at Mirova, the sustainable investment subsidiary of France’s Natixis Asset Management, talks to Agri Investor about the firm’s partnership with the UN and imminent launch of a global fund, with a target size of $300m, dedicated to achieving land degradation neutrality, one of the UN’s sustainability goals.
In fulfillment of Article 173 of the French Energy Transition Law
Mirova was granted the “Infrastructure funds: the best green strategy” award for the third time in a row at SIATI 2017
Natixis announces the appointment of Hervé Guez as Head of Equities and Fixed Income of Mirova.
Regulation, cost reduction, and the rise of renewable energy in the United States. Historically and famously fossil-fuel dependent, the U.S. energy and electricity mixes are evolving quickly as costs fall for renewables, regulations mandate their implementation, and fiscal policy incentivizes their installation.
Mirova announced the final closing of its renewable energy fund Mirova-Eurofideme 3, with 350M€ commitment, well above its 200M€ initial target. The fundraising has benefited from support by both existing and new institutional investors from several European countries, including the European Investment Bank which invested 40M€.
The current global scale and consequences of land degradation make a compelling and urgent case for reaching Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) worldwide by 2030, a target that has now been formally incorporated into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve LDN, large amounts of financial resources need to be mobilised, and public resources alone will not suffice. Attracting long-term capital from private investors by creating a sound market-driven investment framework is also critical.
Understand, take action, and be accountable. If we are to successfully address the challenge to our civilizations posed by climate change, these are imperatives that must be heeded, not only by political decision-makers and regulatory bodies, but companies as well. Obviously, the responsibilities and levers for action relevant for various parties will differ significantly. But few today can claim that these issues are no concern of theirs. The financial industry especially, and more broadly, the many players holding roles in the capital markets, possess considerable leverage for driving change. This conviction is the cornerstone of Mirova’s foundation as a business, as a company.
Mirova is launching the mutual fund Mirova Green Bond - Global, one of the first funds in the world for green bonds. Through this fund, Mirova is asserting its pioneering position on the Green Bond market and offering a funding solution for projects with a high environmental impact, while benefitting from the performance potential of global bonds.
For some, a responsible investment is by definition a long-term investment. And they’re right, to be sure. Problems arise, however, with any attempt to define these terms. Surprisingly, it is almost as difficult to achieve a consensus on the meaning of long-term investment as it is to arrive at a broadly acceptable definition of responsible investment.
