Eurazeo successfully completes the first close of Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund 1(“EPBF”) with €300 million secured. This represents 40% of the fund’s threshold target of €750 million2, ten months after its marketing launch. EPBF’s first investors include a wide range of institutional investors including prominent European financial institutions, insurance companies, asset managers and family offices. This milestone underlines Eurazeo’s leadership in profitable impact investing and opens innovative perspectives for integrating science into finance to address environmental challenges beyond climate change.
This impact buyout fund, led by partners Erwann Le Ligné and Wilfried Piskula under the supervision of Eurazeo Executive Board member Sophie Flak, has been designed to scale profitable environmental solutions to reverse or adapt to the overstepping of Planetary Boundaries while delivering best-in-class buyout returns. To this end, EPBF aims to capitalise on Eurazeo’s proven playbook in buy-and-build strategies to significantly grow small and mid-cap companies, thereby building tomorrow’s leaders.
The uniqueness of EPBF lies in its investment strategy based on the Planetary Boundaries framework developed by Johan Rockström at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, as well as the support of a distinguished advisory board combining both economic and environmental sciences experts. EPBF stands out in the industry for its innovative approach, applying this science-based methodology to shape the investment strategy and effectively measure and quantify the investments’ environmental impact. The fundraising speed and the team’s ability to engage international investors draws on the pioneering and attractive aspect of EPBF.
A first investment embodying EPBF’s strategic ambitions with Planetary Boundaries
Alongside the fundraising activity, the EPBF team has identified a strong pipeline of diversified opportunities throughout Europe and announces the completion of its first investment in Bioline AgroSciences, the third largest player worldwide in macrobials. The company designs, produces and markets biologicals-based solutions to allow growers for a targeted and effective pest control in agriculture. EPBF has acquired a majority stake in Bioline AgroSciences, alongside the family-owned impact investment fund Aurae as minority shareholder, to accelerate its growth through organic investments as well as an ambitious buy-and-build strategy.
Biocontrol, through an efficient reduction of the use of chemical pesticides, directly contributes to safeguarding three of the nine Planetary Boundaries: pollution and biodiversity ; and to a lesser extent climate change. This rapidly growing market remains extremely fragmented worldwide, therefore allowing for a successful buy-and-build strategy to create larger champions that will help accelerate the transition to a sustainable agriculture. The company operates six bio factories across the USA, UK, France, Spain and Kenya and primarily serves today high-value crops such as berries, flowers, ornamentals, fruits and vegetables.
Its solid product portfolio, recognised brand, strong international footprint and double-digit sales growth since 2018 made it the perfect platform for EPBF to support an ambitious and talented management team to execute on a buy-and-build thesis. Bioline AgroSciences embodies EPBF’s commitment to scaling profitable businesses which develop innovative solutions to address critical environmental challenges.
Sophie Flak, Member of Eurazeo Executive Board, Managing Partner – Sustainability & Impact, Erwann Le Ligné and Wilfried Piskula, Partners, Co-Heads – Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund, said:
“The completion of Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund’s first close is a step forward in our ambition to become the leading European private market asset manager in the mid-market, growth and impact segments. We are witnessing significant momentum as investors recognize the need and opportunity to scale businesses providing solutions towards the environment. With Bioline AgroSciences as inaugural deal, we highlight our commitment to applying our playbook and track-record in scaling up small-mid sized businesses to create the future European environmental solutions champions.“
Johan Rockström, Professor in Earth System Science and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, added:
“I'm really pleased to see the implementation of what I, and my colleagues across the world, have been advocating for a long time: the application of the science we have dedicated over 15 years to, finally guiding business decisions. EPBF is a pioneering fund, translating the science of Planetary Boundaries into actionable business models. January 2025 was the hottest month ever recorded, six Planetary Boundaries have already been crossed, providing strong evidence that Earth is losing resilience and the capacity to support our societies. To operate within a safe space, we must go far beyond current efforts. I commend Eurazeo for this groundbreaking initiative, driven by science, to guide investment decisions towards a prosperous and equitable future on a healthy planet.“
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