The eco.business Fund has published its third Impact Report, “5 Years of Investing in Sustainability”.
The publication details the fund’s activities over the past five years, supplemented by in-depth highlights from 2020. Ultimately, the activities of the fund and its partners have translated to contributing to saving 4.5 million m3 of water by financing water-efficient technologies and 37,000 liters of herbicide use avoided as of December 2020, among other achievements.
Read the full Impact Report.
*Additional impact mobilized by facilitating private sector financing for biodiversity conservation through the use of loan participations as an innovative alternative to get new investors to support the eco.business Fund in its mission.
All figures as of March 2022 based on eco.business Fund activities in Latin America
The eco.business Fund provides dedicated financing and technical assistance to local financial institutions and businesses who are committed to implementing sustainable practices. Examples of this include measures to contribute to forest and landscape restoration and conservation, such as supporting agroforestry systems, as well as practices that reduce the pressure on natural resources, such as water saving technologies or the sustainable intensification of agriculture.
By raising awareness of the importance of sustainable production practices, engaging with sustainability standards, and connecting conservation finance practitioners, the fund also contributes to building an enabling environment for a greener economy.
The eco.business Fund continuously monitors and assesses its impact based on key performance indicators that reflect the fund’s impact pathway.
To track progress against these indicators, the fund combines first-hand information from investees with technical parameters from third-party evidence (including scientific literature, data, and reports from international organizations) as well as case studies conducted by the fund. On-site visits to investees help to verify or adjust certain impacts and to gather both qualitative and quantitative impact information.
For the eco.business Fund, assessing impact is just as important as tracking financial performance. It provides a constant feedback loop of how well the fund is progressing towards its goals. It also provides insights and learnings that enable us to continuously fine-tune our strategy to enhance our reach and depth of impact. Impact management is therefore integrated into every step of the investment and technical assistance cycle.
The eco.business Fund also promotes environmentally and socially sound practices in its investment activities, by ensuring that all investees comply with the fund’s environmental and social requirements. Through the eco.business Development Facilities, the fund also provides support to partners to improve environmental and social risk management.
Finance in Motion, eco.business Fund‘s advisor, is a signatory of the Operating Principles for Impact Management (Impact Principles) aligning also eco.business Fund’s impact management system with these recognized industry practices.
Along with an annual disclosure statement, which provides details on the practices applied, the advisor’s is committed to periodic independent verifications. The first verification, conducted in 2021 by the specialized consulting firm BlueMark, affirmed strong alignment with the Operating Principles for Impact Management.
The fund contributes to strengthening sustainable food production systems and implementing resilient agricultural practices.
The fund supports production practices that reduce the contamination of water streams.
The fund boosts sustainable businesses and jobs through its support to certified companies.
The fund contributes to reduce the environmental footprint of production by supporting the adoption of more sustainable practices.
Through its support to sustainable forestry and to agroforestry practices, the fund contributes both to mitigate climate change and to become more resilient to its effects.
The fund contributes to the preservation of aquatic ecosystems through its support to sustainable fisheries.
The fund contributes to the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity through its support to deforestation-free activities, forest landscape restoration and to sustainable farming.
The fund mobilizes resources and pools capital for sustainable development and supports partnerships for systemic change.
