The Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting nature and improving rural livelihoods, and Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to sustainable investing, announce a strategic partnership. Together, they aim to scale up locally led and Nature-based Solutions unlocking benefits for climate, biodiversity and local communities. Leveraging Mirova’s second investment strategy dedicated to sustainable land use, which ambitions to raise €350 million, they will implement targeted impact investing initiatives across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
By expanding access to Rainforest Alliance certification and Mirova’s financing solutions in these regions, the partnership aims to contribute to bridging the Nature-based Solutions financing gap, which requires investments to triple from current levels to reach $542 billion per year by 20301. It will also propel the Rainforest Alliance’s mission, accelerating both the speed and scale of its impact to reach 100 million farmers and workers by 2030.
Key Highlights:
- Collaborative efforts: Starting with Mirova’s strategy dedicated to sustainable land use, this collaboration will facilitate the process of identifying investment opportunities for promoting locally led and Nature-based Solutions, such as regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, drawing on the Rainforest Alliance’s expertise and presence on the ground.
- Shared Belief in Nature-based Solutions: Regenerative agriculture enhances soil health, carbon sequestration, and water retention, while agroforestry integrates trees into agricultural systems, promoting biodiversity and providing extra income for farmers. These methods harness nature’s benefits to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystems, mitigate climate change, and strengthen community resilience.
- Geographical Focus: The partnership will concentrate its efforts on vital sourcing landscapes in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, where the need for sustainable impact investment is most acute. As partners, Mirova will also collaborate directly with project holders to assess their eligibility for certification, while the Rainforest Alliance will help promote Mirova’s financing solutions to farmers already enrolled in its program.
The partnership is rooted in a mutual dedication to promoting sustainability across food and agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. With 35 years of expertise, the Rainforest Alliance forges alliances among farmers, citizens, companies, and investors, increasing the uptake of sustainable and regenerative practices across more than 60 countries. Meanwhile, Mirova, a certified B-Corp2, has participated in financing more than 70 projects and companies that contribute to the protection and restoration of nature in emerging economies and in developed markets.
“We need partnerships like this to accelerate the shift of agriculture and forestry to net-positive at a meaningful speed and scale. By connecting impact investors like Mirova with the Rainforest Alliance’s proven on-the-ground impact, we can mobilize private capital for a just, regenerative transition. Together, we can help address the green finance gap and provide farmers with the capital they need to adopt more sustainable and regenerative practices, enabling both them and the land to thrive.” – Santiago Gowland, CEO of the Rainforest Alliance
“Mirova and the Rainforest Alliance share a common vision: to accelerate the transition from nature-dependent economic value chains to a more sustainable model which improves the incomes and rights of local communities, it is essential to foster collective intelligence and collaboration among all stakeholders. This partnership will allow more developers of nature-positive projects to access high-quality certification and funding to grow their business”. – Anne-Laurence Roucher, Deputy CEO and Head of Private Equity and Natural Capital of Mirova
1 Cerulli Quantitative Update: Global Markets 2023 ranked Natixis Investment Managers as the 17th largest asset manager in the world based on assets under management as of December 31, 2022.
2 Assets under management (“AUM”) of current affiliated entities measured as of March 31, 2024, are $1,321.9 billion (€1,224.9 billion). AUM, as reported, may include notional assets, assets serviced, gross assets, assets of minority-owned affiliated entities and other types of non-regulatory AUM managed or serviced by firms affiliated with Natixis Investment Managers.
Rainforest Alliance Media Contacts
Benelux & France: Marissa Akersloot, makersloot@ra.org
UK & Ireland: Andriana Matsangou, rmatsangou@ra.org
United States: Francisco Gonzalez, fgonzalez@ra.org
DACH: Juliane Matthey, jmatthey@ra.org
Global: Donita Dooley, ddooley@ra.org
