The NatureBacked Podcast

Joonas Plaan, a board member of the Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), discusses the importance of sustainable investing, the role of NGOs in guiding corporate responsibility, and the challenges of quantifying nature's value.Joonas shares insights on successful restoration projects in Estonia and the growing trend of companies supporting environmental initiatives, highlighting the need for a shift in how businesses perceive their relationship with nature.Fiona Alston interviewed Plaan live at Impact Day festival in October 2024.Takeaways The Estonian Fund for Nature focuses on marine issues, climate change, forestry, wetlands, and volunteer work. Investors should prioritize sustainable projects over fossil fuels and greenwashing. Collaboration between NGOs and companies can guide sustainable investments. Nature restoration projects are becoming legally mandated in the EU. Companies can be profitable while being environmentally responsible. The value of nature is often difficult to quantify in monetary terms. Successful restoration projects can attract corporate support without expecting returns. Mastercard's initiative shows how companies can contribute to environmental causes. The future of corporate responsibility includes more investment in nature. Changing perceptions about nature's value is crucial for sustainable business practices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Fiona Alston interviews Anna Lundin, an investor at Norrsken VC, Europe's largest early-stage impact investor. They discuss Norrsken's mission, Anna's transition from Spotify to impact investing, the importance of funding in Africa, and the future of impact investing, emphasizing the need for profitability alongside social and environmental impact.Takeaways Norrsken operates as a hub for impact entrepreneurs. Impact investing is resilient even in tough VC market conditions. Anna's transition to impact investing was driven by her desire to create a better future for her daughter. The VC ecosystem is about building networks and finding the right founders early. Norrsken is exploring investments in alternative energy sources like fusion and geothermal. The recent political climate has heightened the urgency for impact investors. Anna envisions a future where all investments consider impact and profitability. The choices we make in spending and investing can drive change. There is existing technology to capture 90% of CO2 emissions. Funding needs to be directed towards impactful innovations. The episode cover is made with Designer. Powered by DALL·E 3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spirit of sharing, we swapped episodes with Ryan Grant Little of Another Climatetech Podcast, and we are airing one of his great interviews: a conversation with comedian Stuart Goldsmith.Goldsmith shares his unique approach to addressing climate change through humour, and his journey from experiencing climate anxiety to using comedy for resilience and connection. Goldsmith emphasizes the importance of confronting climate dread with laughter, his audience's reactions, and humour's role in motivating action. He also reflects on the collective experience of climate anxiety and the need for a supportive community to navigate these challenges. Cover picture: A humorous illustration depicting climate change is made with Designer. Powered by DALL·E 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We discuss the mission of Native; a company focused on protecting and restoring rainforests, mangroves, and coral reefs while supporting Indigenous guardians.Founder Rob Cobbold emphasizes the importance of engaging the public in climate action through transparent carbon markets and the need for a holistic approach to valuing ecosystems. The conversation also covers sales strategies, the significance of Indigenous rights, project scaling, growth plans, and the integration of NFTs in their model, all while addressing the challenges of building trust in carbon markets.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Native and Its Mission01:55 The Concept of Three by Three Meters05:12 Challenges in Carbon Markets07:47 Sales Strategy and Target Audience10:33 Indigenous Rights and Land Ownership13:48 Growth Plans and Marketing Strategies16:57 Building Trust in Carbon Markets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Thom Norman from FarmKind discusses the critical issues surrounding factory farming, its impact on animal welfare and climate change, and the importance of charitable donations in addressing these challenges.He emphasizes that individuals can make a difference without necessarily changing their diets and highlights the global perspective on factory farming, including the role of EU policies and the progress being made in animal welfare advocacy.TAKEAWAYS: FarmKind helps tackle factory farming through charity recommendations. Factory farming refers to industrial agriculture with large numbers of animals. Animal agriculture significantly contributes to global emissions. Changing diets is not the only way to make an impact. Donating to effective charities can offset dietary impacts. Factory farming is growing rapidly in Asia and Latin America. EU policies have mixed effects on animal welfare. There are innovative solutions to reduce animal suffering. Progress in animal welfare is being made despite industry challenges. Elevating animal voices is crucial in advocacy efforts. Episode cover picture made with Designer. Powered by DALL·E 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the NatureBacked podcast, Fiona Alston interviews Sarah Fleischer, co-founder and CEO of tozero, a company focused on lithium-ion battery recycling.They discuss the journey of starting tozero, the challenges of being a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, and the innovative processes involved in recycling lithium.Sarah shares her insights on the importance of purpose-driven entrepreneurship and the need for sustainable practices to combat the climate crisis.In November tozero raised 11 million euros in a seed round led by NordicNinja. This fresh capital will be used to build tozero’s first industrial deployment plant, often referred to as a First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) plant, boosting production of recycled lithium following the first commercial delivery in April by its operational Pilot Plant, and expand the team to support its ambitious growth plans. Chapters00:00 Introduction to tozero and Its mission07:42 The Journey of a Repeat Founder13:20 Innovative Lithium Recycling Process19:19 Female Leadership in Tech21:32 Vision for a Sustainable Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Erik Kolehmainen discusses his role at Metsä Spring, the innovation arm of Metsä Group, focusing on sustainable forestry practices and developing new bio-based products. He highlights the unique co-operative structure of Metsä Group, which forest owners own, and how this influences long-term business strategies. The discussion covers various innovative projects, including textile fibers, carbon capture technologies, and the potential of mycelium in the bioeconomy. Takeaways:Sustainable use of raw materials is crucial for the future.Innovations in textiles and carbon capture are key projects.Mycelium and mushroom-based solutions are gaining traction.Collaboration with external companies enhances innovation efforts.The bioeconomy is a rapidly evolving field with many opportunities.Investing in pilot plants is essential for scaling new technologies.Networking is vital for discovering new investment opportunities.The textile waste problem presents significant business opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The episode explores Lithuania's vibrant green tech ecosystem, focusing on the growth of renewable energy, mobility, and circular economy innovations, and the challenges startups face. Teresė Škutaitė, head of the Green Tech Hub, discusses the impact of geopolitical shifts on the cleantech sector and the importance of energy independence. At the same time, Biohifas founder Tomas Byckovas talks about the potential of alternative proteins and mycelium-based solutions. He highlights the supportive environment for startups and the need for improved access to capital and talent in the region.TakeawaysLithuania's green tech sector is rapidly growing due to geopolitical shifts.Energy independence is a key driver for renewable energy innovation.The startup ecosystem is diverse, with strong mobility and circular economy sectors.Solar and wind energy are the main focuses of Lithuania's renewable energy strategy.Challenges include access to capital and attracting talent in cleantech.Alternative proteins and agri-food tech are emerging areas of innovation.The government and agencies provide significant support for startups.The EU's regulatory environment poses challenges for scaling businesses.Mycelium startups are gaining traction in the alternative protein space.Lithuania is positioning itself as a hub for green technology innovation.The episode was recorded on the sidelines of Startup Fair conference in Vilnius in October 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brett Jenks discusses Rare's mission to inspire change for the benefit of both people and nature. He emphasizes the importance of understanding human behavior in conservation efforts and shares insights on how community engagement and behavioral science can drive sustainable practices."People are a huge opportunity for conservation," he said. "We need both policy change and individual action."Jenks highlights successful initiatives by Rare, the impact of media on climate action, and the need for individual action in addressing climate change. He concludes with a call for a collective effort to shift behaviors and achieve conservation goals."Your individual behavior matters in climate change."Rare is a global leader in driving social change for people and nature. For over 50 years, across 60 countries, it has inspired and empowered millions of people and their communities to protect our shared planet.Each of Rare’s programs today — The Center for Behavior & the Environment, Fish Forever, Lands for Life, Climate Culture, and Innovative Finance — support the shared goal of driving collective action at the local level to address global challenges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate activist Niklas Kaskeala, founder and chief impact officer at ImpactOffice.Earth, highlights the urgency of addressing climate change and the role of corporate responsibility in fostering a sustainable future.Kaskeala emphasizes the need for businesses to move beyond traditional sustainability practices and focus on creating positive impacts, questioning existing business models and advocating for broader societal change.Takeaways Kaskela has over 20 years of experience in sustainability. Protect Our Winters mobilizes the winter sports community against climate change. Climate change poses an existential threat to winter sports. Sustainability should focus on creating positive impact, not just minimizing harm. Businesses need to rethink their models for a sustainable future. The climate crisis has already crossed several planetary boundaries. Traveling to ski resorts contributes significantly to emissions. Companies must take ownership of their entire supply chain emissions. Corporate sustainability should not be a box-ticking exercise. The safe limit for CO2 in the atmosphere is 350 ppm, which we have exceeded decades ago. "We've gone way beyond the point of the safe limit, but what are we doing every day? We're adding more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Each and every one of us, each and every company. So even if we miraculously stopped emitting today, we would still have a huge issue with too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," Kaskeala said."It's like having a bathtub. If the bathtub is the atmosphere and the water running in there is the carbon dioxide, we've had the tap on for centuries, decades, and the water is already overflowing. It's so high up that it's flowing over the edges of the bathtub. So our solution can't be just to turn the tap off by 5% this year, 5% next year. It'll just contribute to the problem even more. We need to close it, but then we also need to remove the plug and drain the excess water out," he said.The episode was first aired live from the Impact Day event in Tallinn.Kaskeala was interviewed by Fiona Alston.Since the recording in October, Kaskeala also co-founded The Activist AgencyThe episode cover picture was made with Designer. Powered by DALL·E 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices