Van Lanschot Kempen partners with eco.business Fund to promote biodiversity conservation

Luxembourg and 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands), 25 September 2024 – Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management, an investment manager with a long-term focus and sustainable approach, has announced its investment in the eco.business Fund. The investment will be made through the Kempen Global Impact Pool, an  impact fund that is aimed at generating market rate returns while investing in solutions that address social and environmental challenges. This marks Van Lanschot Kempen’s first investment into a blended finance structure and underscores their commitment to promoting environmental sustainability.

The eco.business Fund provides crucial financing to businesses in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa, through its network of investee financial institutions. These investments are aimed at fostering sustainable practices in sectors such as agribusiness, fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, and tourism, with a strong focus on promoting sustainable use of natural resources, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. eco.business Fund’ portfolio currently supports around 1.2 million hectares of farmland under sustainable management and since its inception in 2014, the fund’s activities have contributed to 6.7 million tons of (net) CO2 being stored by (agro-)forestry activities. 

This particular investment aims to bolster biodiversity conservation in Latin America, a region facing significant risks of biodiversity loss. By supporting sustainable business practices in critical sectors closely linked to nature, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management and the eco.business Fund are contributing to the preservation of biodiversity.

Michael Evers, Chairperson of the eco.business Fund, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management as an investor. This partnership not only highlights the vital role of private sector involvement in achieving sustainability goals like biodiversity conservation, but also demonstrates the power of blended finance in engaging private capital to drive meaningful environmental and social impact."

Hector Gomez Ang, Director for eco.business Fund at the fund’s advisor, Finance in Motion, added: "The Global Impact Pool’s commitment to sustainability and impact investing is perfectly aligned with the mission of the fund. Their trust in eco.business Fund’s impact track record in preserving biodiversity and promoting sustainability is yet another indication of the growing demand from the private sector for such impact investing vehicles."

Simon Oosterhof, Portfolio Manager of the Kempen Global Impact Pool at Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management, commented: “Our investment in the eco.business Fund reflects our broader fund strategy to support projects that yield both profitable and sustainable outcomes. It aligns with the Global Impact Pool’s focus on the ‘Circular Economy’ theme, which emphasizes sustainable resource use and biodiversity. This investment helps us increase exposure to this underrepresented theme in our portfolio.”
 

About Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management is a specialist investment manager with a focused approach and a clear investment philosophy. We believe in long-term stewardship for our clients and other stakeholders. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management provides sustainable returns, fiduciary management services, manager selection, portfolio construction and monitoring, alongside a number of actively-managed investment strategies. As of 30 June 2024, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management had a total of €112.9 billion in client assets.
 

About the eco.business Fund

The eco.business Fund aims to promote business and consumption practices that contribute to biodiversity conservation, to the sustainable use of natural resources, and to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. By providing financing for business practices that conserve nature and foster biodiversity, the fund seeks investments with both environmental and financial returns. The eco.business Fund provides financing through three avenues: local financial institutions that are committed to the fund’s mission and which have the capacity to reach its target group; directly to its target group (i.e. companies and producers); and in the case of sub-Saharan Africa, to real sector intermediaries. The fund supports sustainable operations in the sectors of agriculture, fishery (including aquaculture), forestry and tourism. Target beneficiaries are those that hold an eligible sustainability certification or those taking out a loan to make eligible sustainable investments in their operations.

Operating together with each of the two sub-funds, are two development facilities that provide high-impact technical assistance to investment partners and final borrowers.

An impact investment fund advised by Finance in Motion, the eco.business Fund was initiated by Germany’s KfW Development Bank and Conservation International with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The sub-fund for sub-Saharan Africa was formally launched in 2020 with initial funding from BMZ. 

The sub-fund for Latin America and the Caribbean has received funding from the European Commission as well as from numerous other prestigious development finance institutions and institutional investors.
For more information please visit www.ecobusiness.fund 

About Finance in Motion   

Finance in Motion is a global impact asset manager focused exclusively on sustainable development in emerging markets and developing economies. The company structures, manages, and advises impact investment funds that bring together public and private investors to address climate change, strengthen biodiversity conservation, foster the sustainable use of natural resources, improve livelihoods, and promote economic opportunities. 

For more information, please visit us at: www.finance-in-motion.com 
You can also follow us on X @financeinmotion and on LinkedIn
 

Media Contact Finance in Motion GmbH
Nusha Westhoff,
Director Marketing & Communications
Carl-von-Noorden-Platz 5
60596 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49 (0)69 271 035 0
E-Mail: info@finance-in-motion.com 
www.finance-in-motion.com

Media contact Van Lanschot Kempen 
Daan Joosen
Vice President Communication & Corporate Reputation
Phone: +31 613 702 847
Email: d.joosen@vanlanschotkempen.com