Oatly takes a Float-ly…

[Rachel S]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Oatly takes a Float-ly…. Please add to the discussion here.

 

[Holly]

This is a great article, thanks 😊

So, I think it’s interesting that activists care where funding has come from.

I would have thought that as long as a sustainable company gets funding to be even more sustainable in future, then that’s all that matters! I believe that narrowing your funding to particular PE firms only slows down potential growth opportunities.

I guess this isn’t new news but it does shed light to the growing importance of ESG for different stakeholders. It’s not always enough to have sustainable initiatives in your business, but instead, who you contract with must also adopt the same values and goals.

Edit: I also recognise that Blackstone could steer Oatly away from sustainability goals. I guess it would be interesting to see what happens next!

 

[Dheepa]

This is a great article, thanks 😊

So, I think it’s interesting that activists care where funding has come from.

I would have thought that as long as a sustainable company gets funding to be even more sustainable in future, then that’s all that matters! I believe that narrowing your funding to particular PE firms only slows down potential growth opportunities.

I guess this isn’t new news but it does shed light to the growing importance of ESG for different stakeholders. It’s not always enough to have sustainable initiatives in your business, but instead, who you contract with must also adopt the same values and goals.

Edit: I also recognise that Blackstone could steer Oatly away from sustainability goals. I guess it would be interesting to see what happens next!

Interesting thoughts Holly, and I completely agree! Taking a narrow minded view on where funding and investment comes
from is very counterproductive. If we're looking at this from a common good/collective perspective, it would be far better for companies like Blackstone to help fund sustainable initiatives rather than other forms of commercial investments.

I think the interesting thing about the backlash that came from the Oatly investment is that people took issue with the fact that Blackstone were allegedly funding a company with carrying out extensive deforestation activities in the Amazon. Does that mean that investment firms have to clean up/green up their entire portfolio before funding the sustainability market? Seems like a bit of a stretch to me honestly.

There may be reputational damage if the public disagrees (as in Oatly's case) but compared to the long term growth in sustainability initiatives, I think it's a small price to pay.

 

[Holly]

Interesting thoughts Holly, and I completely agree! Taking a narrow minded view on where funding and investment comes
from is very counterproductive. If we're looking at this from a common good/collective perspective, it would be far better for companies like Blackstone to help fund sustainable initiatives rather than other forms of commercial investments.

I think the interesting thing about the backlash that came from the Oatly investment is that people took issue with the fact that Blackstone were allegedly funding a company with carrying out extensive deforestation activities in the Amazon. Does that mean that investment firms have to clean up/green up their entire portfolio before funding the sustainability market? Seems like a bit of a stretch to me honestly.

There may be reputational damage if the public disagrees (as in Oatly's case) but compared to the long term growth in sustainability initiatives, I think it's a small price to pay.

These are great thoughts @Dheepa thanks for sharing!

 

[Rachel S]

This is a great article, thanks 😊

So, I think it’s interesting that activists care where funding has come from.

I would have thought that as long as a sustainable company gets funding to be even more sustainable in future, then that’s all that matters! I believe that narrowing your funding to particular PE firms only slows down potential growth opportunities.

I guess this isn’t new news but it does shed light to the growing importance of ESG for different stakeholders. It’s not always enough to have sustainable initiatives in your business, but instead, who you contract with must also adopt the same values and goals.

Edit: I also recognise that Blackstone could steer Oatly away from sustainability goals. I guess it would be interesting to see what happens next!

Thanks for the feedback! Definitely an interesting perspective in relation to PE firms and potential growth opportunities - will be interesting to see how many PE firms incorporate stricter ESG credentials moving forward.