Insights from RSB Annual Conference: Accelerating Finance for Good

Yesterday I had the pleasure to take part at the annual conference of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials. I’ve been closely following the organisation as a leader in the sustainability frameworks space and due to their increasing role in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel value chain. 

In my role as CEO of Finboot, a leading provider of technology solutions for green supply chain management, this initiative hits close to home and the thought leadership and actionable initiatives coming out from these membership organisations has direct implication in the supply chains we operate.  My work in helping to accelerate the decarbonisation in the oil & gas, mining, packaging, and chemicals industries is closely related to the future of the bioeconomy and our path there. Which was precisely the core theme at this year’s conference held yesterday at the Science Gateway at CERN in Geneva.

So with that in mind I thought I would summarise my learnings from yesterday’s incredible group of panelists and speakers. But let’s start with the basics.

What is the RSB Annual Conference?

The RSB Annual Conference is a premier event where members and stakeholders from various sectors gather to discuss, collaborate, and accelerate the growth of the sustainable bioeconomy.

This year’s conference focused on fostering confidence in sustainable bioeconomy solutions, ensuring their long-term viability, and bridging the gap between project developers and finance professionals to explore how to scale sustainable solutions in the bioeconomy.

With sponsors like Airbus, Amazon, Boeing, Gevo, and IFF, the event truly showcased the leadership and commitment of organisations driving change across industries. It wasn’t only thought leadership, as many attendees actually shared their insights and learnings from tactical implementations over the past year. For me it was a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and organisations committed to creating a sustainable future.

This year's topic “Sustainable Markets: Accelerating Finance for Good”

The theme of this year’s conference,

"Sustainable Markets: Accelerating Finance for Good"

...resonated deeply with my work. As the bioeconomy continues to grow, unlocking sustainable finance is critical to scaling solutions that benefit both the planet and society. I would group the conversations yesterday in four main headline themes: 

• Policy

There were a lot of conversations on policy and regulation, with particular comparisons between European (traditionally the stick) and American (traditionally the carrot) policy. While I don’t think those roles are so well defined it is clear that the world view is seeing it this way. This reminded me of the conversation between Alvaro Llobet and Geoffrey Cann in one of our recent interview series, here’s a clip from it:

But what it is clear is that whether through taxation, regulation, or incentives, policy is the biggest driving force to finance the energy transition. 

• Private financing

Another interesting point covered yesterday was the need to transform financial procedures to facilitate access to finance. Strict banking regulation and the high risk posed by some climate tech investments is complicating the financing of green projects. Perhaps there’s a need to reimagine risk assessment for climate finance. 

In line with this I also encourage you to read our blog about the EU Taxonomy Regulation which is providing a standardized definition of which economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable, helping to create a shared understanding among financial and non-financial entities, and facilitate the flow of capital towards truly sustainable projects.

• Monetise sustainability

If you follow my content, you know this is a topic I constantly touch on, I actually did a whole episode of Green Supply Chain Insights on how to monetise sustainability investments.

But there was an interesting take I took from yesterday which discussed how to interlink sustainability with product performance. If we manage to invest in sustainability, and such investments improve product performance, consumers are more likely to pay more for performance than for sustainability. I think this is an interesting route worth exploring in sectors that have a challenge monetising sustainable products. 

• The critical role of traceability

Lastly, yesterday’s case studies and success stories clearly pointed out the importance of feedstock traceability and certification in the value chain. Connectivity, data sharing, and supply chain visibility are becoming a basic requirement to scale the bioeconomy. Which is excellent news to us at Finboot, considering that is exactly the space we are focused on. 

At Finboot we’ve already successfully helped first movers like SABIC, MOEVE and REPSOL to implement and scale Green Supply Chain Management software. The key is to take the first step—and doing so before it’s too late.. Once regulations take hold, these practices will become standard. Depending on your industry, you have anywhere from 3 to 10 years to capitalize on this opportunity, both financially and reputationally.

What is next?

The hardest path lies ahead. Yesterday was a great indicator that the professionals working in this space have a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities posed by the energy transition. But the hardest part is always turning these ideas into action. In this case the global nature of the transition is perhaps what makes it more challenging. Which why yesterday, my closing question to everyone I networked with was 

Are you optimistic? 

And perhaps it was the conference vibes, but at least yesterday the whole room was certainly very optimistic. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the RSB team and connect with the broader bioeconomy ecosystem.