Lombard Odier Group has launched a new impact investment solution, in partnership with Access To Water, to support water accessibility and quality in rural Senegal.
The new solution reflects the growing appetite from clients for investments that deliver real world impact, whilst also delivering financial returns.
Access To Water is a Swiss foundation committed to improving access to drinking water in regions hit by water stress. It supports research and development of ecofriendly water solutions in partnership with Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Lombard Odier said its partnership with Access To Water is further evidence of its commitment to fostering sustainable investment outcomes that support a more circular economy.
This new investment solution will aim to support the distribution of 60 million liters of clean water per year fulfilling the daily needs of over 83'500 people, and provide water efficiency, better resource management, improved sustainable water practices and better sanitation to communities in Senegal that suffer from low water attainment and quality.
Stéphane Monier, CIO at Lombard Odier, said: "At Lombard Odier we believe in the pressing need for a restructuring of our economic model, which is built on unsustainable foundations. We must transition to a more sustainable and regenerative future based on a Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean (CLICTM) model.
Our partnership with Access To Water directly supports this aim, by helping to achieve the universal human right of clean and accessible water. We firmly believe that this new solution has the power to make a meaningful contribution to that effect".
Renaud de Watteville, founder of Access To Water, added: "Since we embarked on our mission in 2012, our ultimate aim has always been to improve access to drinking water in areas of water stress.
We wholeheartedly believe in the necessity to build an equitable and regenerative society, by eradicating water poverty and protecting rural environments for generations to come.
Lombard Odier is a fellow innovator that also subscribes to our view around fair society and sustainability. Accordingly, we are thrilled to embark on this new partnership and look forward to working closely to deliver sustainable outcomes."
This is the fourth project of its kind from Lombard Odier, following the support given in 2019 to ReforestAction, which helped finance the planting of 20,000 trees in Tanzania and Peru, and the collaboration on two impact solutions in 2020 with Plastic Bank, through which it has funded the collection of more than 1,100 tons of ocean-bound plastic, whilst directly supporting over 3,500 children in collector communities with educational bursaries.
