50 Investible Opportunities for a New Nature Economy 2026

Many companies may be able to consider investing in these opportunities with operational improvement budgets. Water management, for example, is much less costly than many industrial decarbonization measures. As a result, businesses could view operational uplifts as quick wins within limited sustainability budgets. They are generally financed through general purpose mechanisms and are suitable for a range of conventional debt products such as commercial, thematic and sustainability- linked loans, given the opportunities’ maturity and fit within core business operations. Incentivizing the adoption of operational uplifts – UK banks’ financing products BOX 3 UK banks’ financing products for incremental green projects at SME and mid-market firms Several large UK banks have developed a range of financing products tailored towards small and medium enterprises looking to implement green projects, addressing climate and broader nature objectives together. Examples of these include: Lloyds Bank Clean Growth Financing Product enables businesses to fund incremental efficiency updates, such as building retrofits, energy efficient technologies for manufacturers (e.g. heat pumps) and waste, water and resource-efficiency improvements (e.g. onsite water treatment) through discounted loans tailored to SMEs and mid-market firms. These include both term lending and revolving credit facilities and provide either 0% arrangement fees or interest rate discounts. Barclays Green Loans for Business provide a discounted interest rate for businesses looking to use money towards the bank’s 65 pre-identified eligible green assets (e.g. agricultural technologies, building automation and insulation). Barclays have partnered with Propel to offer asset finance with a hire purchase agreement for companies to use and install other incremental upgrades (e.g. solar photovoltaic panels, battery storage units, air, water and ground heat pumps). HSBC offers cashback incentives for SMEs seeking financing between £25,000-300,000, provided that 90% of the loan proceeds are applied to eligible activities, such as waste management, sustainable buildings or sustainable water and wastewater management. The bank also offers discounted loan arrangement fees to farming businesses that are certified, or are applying for certification, under the Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) marque. LEAF is a farming charity that promotes integrated farm management approaches for sustainability and resilience outcomes. Sources: Lloyds Bank, Barclays, HSBC.14 However, these opportunities can be hard for financial institutions to finance because individual projects are typically small and fragmented and they often lack a clear asset base to secure loans (e.g. for energy retrofits, water efficiency upgrades, smart controls). Lenders can overcome this by pooling many similar small loans and standardizing their terms or by financing through general purpose or working capital loans tied to specific KPIs. Once aggregated, these loans can be repackaged into larger instruments — such as green asset-backed securities, project bonds or covered bonds — that attract a broader set of investors. CASE STUDY 1 Operational uplift example – mining exploration with drones and sensors (continued) Low: Drones, remote sensing and associated software require lower upfront investment than conventional exploration vehicles and equipment. Accessing satellite data or conducting aerial surveys is less capital intensive than mobilizing ground crews and equipment. Pay-per-use models (e.g. drone-as-a-service) further reduce capital requirements, with many data and analytics providers offering services on a subscription or per-project basis.High: The scalability of this opportunity is high, driven by rapid deployment of the technology and equipment across multiple sites and geographies with minimal physical infrastructure. Satellite imagery and remote sensing data are available worldwide and reduce the need for physical presence onsite until more advanced exploration stages. Industry focus for adoption is currently on increasing expertise and integrating these technologies into existing workflows. Source: Mining Doc.13 Businesses could view operational uplifts as quick wins within limited sustainability budgets.Capital intensity Scalability 50 Investible Opportunities for a New Nature Economy 19