Inside Impact Investing

Alex Sokolowski and Dimitri Willems - The impact potential of small- and midcap companies

In this episode of Inside Impact Investing, we take a closer look at the impact potential of impact investing in small and midcap companies. Podcast host Rosl Veltmeijer sits down with Alex Sokolowski, Head of Investor Relations at Corbion, and Dimitri Willems, Fund Manager of the Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund to discuss the role small and midcap companies play in a world where sustainability and ESG are under severe pressure, how important they are in driving positive change and what challenges and opportunities they are facing. Key topics discussed in this episode include: * How important are small- and midcap companies in driving positive change in society?  * Are there sufficient investment opportunities in this segment for impact investing?  * Does the current ESG backlash influence the strategy of a company like Corbion?  * What effect does the changing regulatory landscape, for instance regarding the mandatory sustainability reporting and supply chain due diligence, have on companies like Corbion and impact investors such as Triodos Investment Management?  * What are the differences in engagement strategies between mainstream investors and impact investors? and how effective is engagement? Read more about impact investing in small- en midcap companies here [https://www.triodos-im.com/articles/2025/insight-is-it-the-right-time-to-invest-in-small-and-midcaps] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Nicky van Dijk and Sven Renon - What's left of the climate commitments of the financial sector?

In this episode, Karel Nierop assesses how financial institutions are progressing on their emissions reduction targets with Nicky van Dijk, Lead Researcher for the Climate Court Case against ING at the Dutch NGO Milieudefensie, and Sven Renon, Sustainability Researcher at Triodos Bank. Following the ESG-backlash, financial institutions have abandoned their voluntary climate commitments en masse. Triodos Bank recently also revised its climate strategy and no longer claims to be net zero in 2035. The bank also left the Net Zero Banking Alliance. So where do we stand? Is the financial sector still on track to reach the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement? Has Triodos given up on climate? Or has the time come for more rigorous action? This is a follow up from the podcast on bank’s climate commitments we recorded in 2024: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jawpf3a08cuEuyTZK5YFh?si=0pJHIMdXT72SVNRzUF-Glw [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jawpf3a08cuEuyTZK5YFh?si=0pJHIMdXT72SVNRzUF-Glw] Learn more about Scope 3 emissions here: What are Scope 3 emissions and why do they matter? | The Carbon Trust [https://www.carbontrust.com/en-eu/our-work-and-impact/guides-reports-and-tools/what-are-scope-3-emissions-and-why-do-they-matter] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Joop Hessels and Jeroen van Herwaarden - Does the EU Green Bond Standard deliver on its promise?

In this episode, Rosl Veltmeijer discusses first experiences applying the EU Green Bond Standard in practice with Joop Hessels, Executive Director and Head of Sustainable Markets at ABN-Amro and Jeroen van Herwaarden, fund manager of the Triodos Euro Bond Impact Fund. The EU Green Bond Standard is a new standard for use-of-proceeds bonds. Like any other bond label, it is a voluntary standard introduced by the European Commission as part of the broader EU Action Plan. Launched in December 2024 with the purpose of stimulating green investments, it has been tested for almost a year now. A good moment to evaluate how it works in practice with two specialists. Joop Hessels looks at the EU GBS from an issuer perspective whereas Jeroen van Herwaarden approaches the topic from the investor angle.   This episode is a follow-up on a previous podcast we did on the EU Taxonomy and the EU Green Bond Standard: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4lOww9NohwzUmIN9wH2faS?si=yKCkdUL3Qv-kkNIXKGt5bw [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4lOww9NohwzUmIN9wH2faS?si=yKCkdUL3Qv-kkNIXKGt5bw] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Matt Goodwin and Sjoerd Rozing - How investors can contribute to the online safety of children

In this episode, Rosl Veltmeijer sits down with Matt Goodwin, Head of Sustainable Investing at the Global Child Forum, and Sjoerd Rozing, portfolio manager Future Generations at Triodos Investment Management, to explore the concept of Child Lens Investing from the perspective of online safety for children.   Children are our future - future consumers, workers, innovators and caregivers. Yet, despite their significance, their interests are often overlooked in economic and financial decision-making. Investors play a crucial role in shaping the world that future generations will inherit. By applying a child lens to investing, they can move beyond short-term returns and focus on building a sustainable, inclusive and thriving global economy. Read more about the concept of Child Lens Investing in this handbook: Investor Handbook Child-Lens Investing [https://www.triodos-im.com/articles/2025/investor-handbook-child-lens-investing] More about Global Child Forum can be found on their website: globalchildforum.org [https://globalchildforum.org/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

David Kuijper and Judith Santbergen - Understanding the impact potential of blended finance

In this episode, Karel Nierop explores the intriguing landscape of blended finance with David Kuijper, CEO of The Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI) [https://edfi.eu/] and Judith Santbergen, Fund Manager of the Hivos-Triodos Fonds, a blended finance instrument avant-la-lettre. Kuijper explains what blended finance entails and how it is needed to get important transitions going, especially in emerging markets. Santbergen elaborates on Hivos-Triodos Fonds' ability to do smaller transactions, focusing on SMEs in high impact sectors in emerging markets. Tailored to meet investors’ requirements - be it fiduciary or regulatory - blended finance can open new markets and offer diversification.   Despite the difficulties in scaling up, both guests see strong opportunities for blended finance. Given the demographic developments with Europe ageing and declining in population while the global south is young and growing, combined with Europe’s enormous amount of pension savings, there is an urgent need to transition European private capital to emerging markets. Blended finance facilities can help change the direction of private capital flows, for example in sectors where blended finance has proven to work like renewable energy and resilient infrastructure. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.