Biomimicry has captured the world’s imagination. From the momentJanine Benyus’ seminal book on biomimicry appeared in 2002, hopes have been high for this new approach to design and engineering. Twelve years on, where are biomimicry and bio-inspired design today? And what opportunities are there for impact investors looking for ways to place capital in innovative, green and sustainable nature-based solutions?
Articles written by: Marta Maretich, Ana LaRue, Tom Holland, En Lee and Sam Lindsay
The impact investing sector is reaching a critical moment in its evolution. It’s expanded hugely, attracting attention from world leaders, governments and mainstream investors. New funds are launching while more mature funds are developing sophisticated investment models. All this is healthy—it’s what we’re all working for. But to continue this healthy growth, impact now needs several key things.
Risk is the spice of life and a necessary factor in most investing. Investors are compensated for putting their capital in peril (to a degree) with higher levels of risk attracting higher returns. Without risk there would be little reward.
This makes the art of risk management one of the most important skills in modern finance. Delivering financial products that provide the right level of risk for different investors is key to the success of advisors, fund managers and investment firms.
Together with swisscleantech, the business association for sustainable and liberal market economy, FFGS is bringing the leading figures in the field of biomimicry to Switzerland. The 2nd Summit features a range of workshop sessions and conferences focusing on the topics like nature-inspired 3D Printing, technology transfer and financing models, biodiversity and business as well as cross-collaboration in
At the center of discussion was application of net zero concepts to create productive, thriving communities by focusing on net zero energy and net zero water buildings—that is, buildings that produce as much energy and water as they consume.
Delivering financial products that provide the right level of risk for different investors is key to the success of advisors, fund m
anagers and investment firms. This is as true for impact investing as it is for mainstream finance, especially now that the sector is starting to diversify and attract more corporate, institutional and other large investors.”
Biomimicry, a design discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, is an emerging field that is increasingly catching interest from impact investors and social businesses.
According to The Global Biomimicry Efforts: An Economic Game Changer report, biomimicry-based goods and services could account for approximately $300 billion of U.S. GDP by 2025. The sector could also provide another $50 billion in terms of mitigating the depletion of various natural resources and reducing CO2 pollution.
Many established and emerging biomimicry companies are now looking for organizations that could fund, invest in, and support their operations.
For many investors, impact investing has remained largely confined to private investments. For this reason, impact investments may still account for only a small proportion of many portfolios.
However, with new opportunities for impact investing now emerging across different asset classes, investors are beginning to allocate more of their assets to businesses that generate social and environmental outcomes. To encourage this move, the Investor Team for the Asia (IIX Asia) has come up with a simple 7-step process that helps investors and advisors assess investment portfolios and begin the process of shifting the emphasis in the direction of more impact investments.
Delivering financial products that provide the right level of risk for different investors is key to the success of advisors, fund m
