We are excited to announce that EATV (VegTech Invest's Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF) is the first plant-based innovation solution to complete Ethos ESG's carbon neutrality certification.
With the urgency of addressing climate change, mutual funds and ETFs have an important role in helping to finance the transition to a sustainable economy. Ethos applauds VegTech for its commitment to carbon neutrality and for raising the bar on climate impact for ETFs.
The VegTEch ETF is the first ETF that Ethos has certified as carbon neutral using lifecycle analyses rather than carbon credits. This means that Ethos reviewed analyses from the University of Michigan, Boston Consulting Group, and others to assess the carbon footprint of products over their entire "lifecycle". These analyses quantify the typical emissions reduction associated with converting from beef to plant-based meat, implementing green vertical farming, investing in plant-based products and innovations, and making other transitions to a plant-based industry.
Ethos compared the estimated carbon footprint of the holdings in EATV (the Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions that EATV is responsible for through its investment in each holding) with the expected impact of emissions that are avoided for each holding. Based on this analysis, Ethos determined that the aggregate carbon avoidance potential of all EATV holdings was greater than the estimated carbon footprint - i.e., an investment in EATV results in a net reduction of carbon when considering the expected emissions avoided.
Ethos ESG founder Luke Wilcox says that "new investment approaches such as EATV are seeking ground-breaking solutions that address the global food and material supply system that work toward stabilizing food insecurity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
"Our factory-animal food supply system causes tremendous damage to the planet through deforestation and its emissions, most notably producing about one third of the worlds methane according to the EPA, says Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest. It also uses a disproportionate amount of critical resources, such as land and water, needed for a growing global population. We won't sufficiently impact climate change in the short time needed if we don't innovate for solutions to animal factories. Thats why we created EATV. We want to drive capital to the companies who are innovating to replace animal products for sustainable consumption and allow investors to partake in the megatrend of creating an efficient, global food supply system."
Elysabeth also joined Dan Carreno and Brittany D'Amico recently on the Ethos ESG podcast to discuss new technologies and trends disrupting the global food system. Listen here or find us on your favorite podcasting platform.