We are proud to announce that our member Triodos Investment Management’s Hivos-Triodos Fund, has taken an equity share in Indian clean-tech company GPS Renewables (GPS), together with the local impact investor Caspian. GPS is a leading and innovative bio-energy technology company that develops disruptive organic-waste-to-energy solutions. The company will use the funds to expand further and invest in R&D.
GPS was founded in 2012 by Mainak Chakraborty and Sreekrishnan Sankar with an ambition to tackle two pressing problems: the rapid growth of ‘wet waste’ in India’s (semi-)urban areas and energy poverty in rural areas. They successfully developed the BioUrja, a state-of-the-art modular biogas plant, which collects organic waste (e.g. food leftovers) and transforms it into biogas at the source.
Sagar Thakar, Senior Investment Officer at Triodos IM believes that GPS’s innovative approach leads the way to a circular economy. According to him, captive biogas plants will allow the biodegradable waste to be treated at the source of waste origination and meet 10-30% of the in-house energy or gas consumption needs. Karel Nierop, Fund Manager at Hivos-Triodos Fund, says that GPS has the potential to disrupt the South Asian market and beyond with their waste management solutions to mitigate climate change.
India’s new waste management regulations are critical drivers for the market, which will further develop at a rapid pace as they require organic waste to be treated, segregated and paid for before disposal.
Triodos Investment Management is a globally active impact investor. They invest to generate social and environmental impact alongside a healthy financial return. They see impact investing as a driving force in the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable world. For more than 30 years, they have offered impact investment solutions that connect investors who want to make money work for positive change with innovative entrepreneurs and sustainable businesses that believe in the same.
