Stockholm (NordSIP) – As sustainability specialists seek to fund and facilitate the energy transition, one of the hurdles they face is the ability to quantify and compare alternative decarbonised energy sources. With an estimated investment requirement of US$215 trillion to achieve global net-zero emissions by 2050, the development of harmonized metrics is essential for channeling capital into effective climate solutions.
To address this gap, on April 3rd, Robeco, Mirova, Edmond de Rothschild AM, I Care and Quantis have joined forces to launch of the Avoided Emissions Platform (AEP) an interactive tool that harmonises the assessment of climate solutions’ impact and models the avoided emission factors for 65 climate solutions. The AEP is based on a transparent and open access methodology for calculating avoided emissions often referred to as “scope 4”.
The AEP can be traced back to May 2023, when Mirova and Robeco issued a call for expressions of interest to enable the development of the platform. The initiative is supported by 12 asset managers and owners, representing more than US$4 trillion of assets under management, as well as one international Corporate Investing Bank, six recognized data providers, 13 leading corporates and an independent scientific committee.
“Robeco has a long-standing commitment to invest in the net zero transition. In particular, our climate products, such as the Smart Energy and the Global Climate Transition funds, have been investing in climate solutions for many years. This new database will help us credibly quantify their true contribution to climate mitigation. This addresses the high demand from our clients for more extensive impact measurement,” says Lucian Peppelenbos, Climate & Biodiversity Strategist at Robeco.
The founding partners of the AEP included Edmond de Rothschild AM (Strategic Founding Partner), Mirova (Strategic Founding Partner), Robeco (Strategic Founding Partner), Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, Natixis Investment Managers, Amundi, Caisse des Dépôts, Comgest, Man Group and Sienna Investment Managers. Corporate partners of the initiative include Air Liquide, Dassault Systèmes, EDF, Eramet, Fives, Innovafeed, Panasonic Holdings, Saint-Gobain, UBQ, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Valeo and Veolia. Data provider partners of the AEP include Clarity AI, Evalueserve, ICE, Iceberg Data Lab, Sustainable Fitch and Morningstar Sustainalytics.
The development of the platform benefited from recommendations by a dedicated scientific committee, ensuring consistency with existing guidance on avoided emissions and a credible approach to assessing potential emission savings across sectors. The scientific committee included Marvin Henry (WBCSD), Simon Deschamps (Climate Dividends), Michelle O’Keeffe (University of Edinburgh), Seth Sheldon (Rho Impact) and Keri Browder (Prime Coalition).
According to Robeco, the AEP delivers significant benefits to a diverse range of stakeholders. Financial institutions will gain enhanced decision-making capabilities through reliable, harmonized metrics that help align their portfolios with global net-zero objectives. Companies will be able to more accurately calculate and report their avoided emissions, improving credibility and access to capital while gaining a competitive edge. Consultants and data providers will gain access to comprehensive resources, fostering collaboration and market differentiation. Regulators will receive valuable insights to inform policy development and track progress toward climate goals and academics will obtain robust data for research and the advancement of sustainability methodologies.
“To accelerate the environmental transition, we must not only reduce emissions but also scale up solutions that actively avoid them. This platform establishes robust and harmonized approaches to calculate avoided emissions, enabling both companies and financial institutions to assess climate contributions with greater clarity. It’s a critical step toward a more transparent and effective transition,” Anne Désérable, Managing Director at Quantis, adds.
The platform can be accessed with a license and will be expanded over time with new solutions. On April 22nd, Quantis is scheduled to hold an introductory session, presenting the AEP to corporates, consultants and software providers.
