Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM), the institutional asset management arm of Lombard Odier Group, has selected Equity Trustees to be the responsible entity of its new fund, known as the LOIM Plastic Circularity Fund (Australia).

Andrew Godfrey, Executive General Manager, Corporate and Superannuation Trustee Services, Equity Trustees said: “We are pleased to be appointed as the responsible entity role for the LOIM Plastic Circularity Fund and look forward to working alongside the team as they continue to grow in the Australian market.” 

The objective of the Fund is to reduce plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions in the plastic value chain while delivering market returns. 

The Fund invests in companies:
• Offering innovative plastic materials with lower carbon footprint and better end of life properties)
• Enabling a longer use of plastics (through reuse, repair and refill), and
• Providing collection, sorting and recycling solutions. 

It has already received strong investor interest globally and had a successful first close in 2023 with commitments from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, Dow, Lyondell Basell, SABIC, the sovereign wealth fund of Monaco and other leading sustainability-focused institutional and private financial investors. It will be available to wholesale and institutional investors through its licensed representative AFM Investment Partners.

Vincent Magnenat, Asia Regional Head and Global Head of Strategic Alliances at Lombard Odier, said: “We’re excited about the launch of our LOIM Plastic Circularity Fund in Australia. There is tremendous opportunity for turning plastic waste into a resource, as well as driving economies of scale and economic returns. According to industry estimates, the transition to a circular value chain for plastic packaging represents a potential US$1 trillion global economic opportunity by 2030.” 

“We have developed what we believe is a differentiated and compelling private offering for local Australian investment groups. We are giving institutional investors and wholesale clients the opportunity to invest in growth-stage companies positioned to capture the worldwide transition undergone by the plastic value chain with the objective to reduce plastic waste issues and deliver attractive financial returns and sustainability outcomes worldwide.” 

Managing Director of AFM Investment Partners, John Donovan agreed: “The plastics problem is widely acknowledged and Australia investors welcome innovative investment solutions such as the Plastics Circularity Fund.”

The Lombard Odier group is a global private banking, asset management and banking technology infrastructure group founded in 1796 and headquartered in Geneva, with client assets totaling over USD $351 billion, 2,900 employees and more than 25 offices around the world as at 31 December 2023.