European sustainability fund raises €200m

The efforts to shift away from an economy relying on fossil fuels towards a circular, bio-based economy are gaining momentum. Now, the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) is ready to put more then €200m into 25 disruptive European companies that further that goal. The fund, launched by the EU, has raised money from investors such as the European Investment Bank, NRW.BANK, Volkswohl Bund, Corbion and others. The ECBF managers are confident to reach the fund’s €250m in the near future. “The trade-off between sustainability and financial returns is currently fading away,” stresses Michael Nettersheim, Managing Partner at ECBF. “More and more entrepreneurs and investors are acknowledging huge opportunities that can be harnessed when criteria for environment, social and governance (ESG) standards are met. The bioeconomy, including the circular bioeconomy, will significantly benefit from this development.”

ECBF was launched in 2020, becoming the first venture capital fund to focus exclusively on fastgrowing bioeconomy companies. The fund’s regional focus is on the 27 EU member states and the 16 associated countries from the HORIZON 2020 programme. All fund investments have to fulfil
ambitious ESG criteria, making the ECBF an important financial instrument in the EU to support the
European Green Deal.

“We need to stop exploiting our planet systematically by establishing a circular bioeconomy. To that
end, we need innovations, which in turn need capital in order to succeed on a global level. Companies
have to reinvent their existing processes and value chains to remain competitive,” says Michael
Brandkamp, Managing Partner at ECBF.