Emerald Technology Ventures, a pioneer in industrial technology venture capital, has announced the launch of a fund focused on sustainable packaging, one of the first venture-backed investment vehicles focused on the entire packaging lifecycle.
With the global packaging sector poised for rapid growth amid a major push to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, the fund aims to catalyze advances in advanced materials and industrial technologies that will benefit the planet and generate significant profits.
Specifically, industrial and consumer goods companies Beiersdorf, Chevron, Henkel and WM will join the fund as founding limited partners, a list that attests to the fund’s broad reach in the packaging ecosystem. Leveraging its two-decade track record of driving transformation among more than 50 global corporate partners, Emerald will seek investments in sectors at all stages of the circular economy, from raw materials to plastics recycling.
The fund will target investments in six categories including low-footprint raw materials, functional and smart materials, design for reuse and recycling, collection, sorting, cleaning and recycling technologies, digital and connected solutions, new business models such as packaging as a service.
“The fund is a recognition that the packaging industry is playing an increasingly proactive role in the shift to a low-carbon circular economy,” notes Emerald managing partner Gina Domanig.
“As part of our corporate transformation toward sustainability, the packaging of our products plays a central role,” said Michael Becker, head of global packaging R&D at Beiersdorf.
“Emerald Technology Ventures’ sustainable packaging fund has the potential to drive the broader adoption of a lower-carbon circular economy,” adds Jim Gable, vice president of innovation and president of Technology Ventures at Chevron.
For Paolo Bavaj, Director Corporate Venturing at Henkel Adhesive Technologies: “Throughout our partnership with Emerald, we have become familiar with their qualified and diversified team of experts. We are convinced that they are a solid partner that can help us access new business in a wide variety of fields, from materials and technology innovation to recycling enhancement.”
The multidisciplinary team behind the fund will regularly measure and report on the efforts of its portfolio companies to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and waste, a key component of the fund’s robustness.
