NatureInvest : Habitat launches an innovative new tool to assess the impact of financial investments on biodiversity
October 25, 2024 - Habitat is proud to announce the launch of its brand new investment decision support tool, NatureInvest, for financial institutions and investment funds. This innovative tool will enable investors and lenders to quickly assess, on a rigorous scientific basis, the potential impact on biodiversity of an investment in a project or company, responding to a growing demand for sustainable investment practices.
"Investing in biodiversity is no longer an option, but a necessity. And private finance has an important role to play," asserts Jérôme Dupras, CEO of Habitat. "By supporting organizations in biodiversity impact analysis, we aim to amplify our role in the transition to more responsible finance and support institutions in their move towards eco-responsible investment models."
The tool, created by Habitat's Research and Development team, is unique in that it not only assesses the potential impact of an investment on biodiversity, but also the degree of commitment to biodiversity of the company being evaluated, its internal strategies and the additional character it may have with regard to existing legislation. This multidimensional analysis approach represents a major advance in the field.
NatureInvestTM will be deployed in preview by two major financial institutions that have placed sustainability and respect for ecosystems at the heart of their priorities: the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ (Quebec) and pan-European asset manager Sienna Investment Managers (France).
"Habitat impresses us every day with their innovative approach focused on making a difference. NatureInvest is proof that, once again, they manage to stand out from the crowd by offering customized strategic guidance to businesses, providing them with the tools they need to make responsible decisions. The Fund is proud to count Habitat among its partners, because it is with the best resources that our companies will have a direct positive impact on our biodiversity," explains Dany Pelletier, Senior Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investments at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ.
Laurent Dubois, Managing Director - Private Credit at Sienna IM, adds: "As a committed player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, Sienna IM is in dialogue with financed companies and investors, and we are seeing a growing interest in biodiversity. We are convinced that an investment strategy in favor of preserving biodiversity cannot be reduced to excluding the most problematic sectors of activity, but on the contrary to supporting biodiversity-friendly companies. Habitat's new tool, the first of its kind in Europe, will provide our analysis and management teams with an objective and comprehensive analysis that will be essential for our private debt financing decisions, and for supporting the companies in our portfolios in their sustainability strategy".
This tool is in line with target 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement, which emphasizes that $200 billion a year by 2030 must be invested to combat the erosion of biodiversity. Habitat's experts answered the call and developed NatureInvest to meet this growing need for support in sustainable finance. The tool is aimed at asset managers, banks and other financial sector players wishing to integrate environmental criteria into their investment decisions, and will form part of Habitat's regular service offering.
For more information about NatureInvest, please visit the website at habitat-nature.com or contact the team at info@habitat-nature.com.
About Habitat
Habitat is a Montreal-based environmental solutions company specializing in biodiversity measurement, ecosystem services assessment and sustainable land management planning. Habitat's mission is to accelerate the ecological transition by guiding organizations towards practices that preserve biodiversity and strengthen their resilience in the face of climate change.
About the Fonds de solidarité FTQ
The Fonds de solidarité FTQ is a proud Quebecer that fulfills its mission thanks to a unique business model created over 40 years ago. Since then, the Fund has rallied Quebec into action, thanks to the retirement savings of more than 785,000 shareholder-savers.
With net assets of $20 billion as at May 31, 2024, the Fund supports thousands of companies through venture and development capital investments that capitalize on the belief that impact is created as much by financial returns as by societal returns. For more information, visit fondsftq.com or LinkedIn.
About Sienna Investment Managers
Sienna Investment Managers is a pan-European, multi-expertise asset manager of the listed investment company GBL ("Groupe Bruxelles Lambert"). With around 300 professionals, Sienna IM is present in Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, London, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Madrid, Amsterdam and Seoul.
Combining listed and private assets, Sienna IM develops customized, innovative solutions for its clients, to give meaning to their investments. At the end of June 2024, the Group managed over 37 billion euros in assets under management, of which over 80% (within the SFDR-eligible perimeter) were classified as Article 8 or 9.
To keep up to date with our news, you can follow us on LinkedIn or visit www.sienna-im.com.
Media contact
Marisa Sagues
Communications and Marketing Officer, Habitat
438-825-4445
communications@habitat-nature.com