Groundwork launches new environmental investor portfolio

North East businesses and organisations looking to build, or enhance their corporate environmental and sustainability strategies, can explore unique opportunities to work with Groundwork NE & Cumbria through its new investor portfolio.

With a pedigree of 40 years in environmental and community action, Groundwork is currently championing a range of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) designed to conserve, restore, or better manage ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and tackle climate change.

In the North East, Groundwork’s NbS efforts focus largely on its Revitalising Our Estuaries programme with work across six river estuaries and communities in the region from Northumberland to North Yorkshire.

The work ranges from designing and building innovative floating ecosystems on the river Tyne to restoring salt marshes on the Wansbeck, and installing artificial habitats for marine life including living sea walls, floating rock pools and fish shelters in Whitby harbour. The work is dynamic, ground-breaking and is helping scientists advance their knowledge in the fight against climate change.

To help the cause, Groundwork is offering businesses the chance to fund this work, and in return, be able to demonstrate the contribution their investment has made in delivering environmental improvements. A range of metrics are used including carbon storage, biodiversity, water quality, health and wellbeing, employment and training as well as flood mitigation and improvements in amenity.

A crucial development in Groundwork’s Investor Portfolio initiative is its work with two leading environmental consultancies and green finance experts. Groundwork is building monitoring and evaluation tools to be able to offer businesses clear, audited reporting on returns on investment.

The programme is also looking to identify how investment in Nature-based Solutions can be scaled up in future. Creating and testing this sustainable finance model is being undertaken by JBA Consulting in collaboration with green finance specialists Accelar.

JBA’s project director Steve Maslen commented; “To create a more climate resilient future for our estuaries it will be important to secure long-term funding and we are pleased to be contributing to this important work”.

Accelar’s managing director Chris Fry added, “With estuaries offering so many opportunities for local biodiversity improvements, carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services, it is exciting to be working with different stakeholders to forge a mutually beneficial and repeatable investment model.”

Hellen Hornby, NbS project manager at Groundwork said:“Groundwork is renowned for its pioneering environmental projects and is delighted to have been granted the NEIRF Funding to advance its Nature-based Solutions programme. To finance these programmes, we have developed a package for corporate investors to support our works while dovetailing with their own corporate sustainability goals.

“We will carry out research with businesses to find out what areas of NbS work they are most interested in, and this feedback will help us further develop our investor portfolio. We are committed to building strong business partnerships to advance our environmental and sustainability goals.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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