Anthesis Acquires The Climate Neutral Group Expanding Its Capabilities To Implement Net Zero Emissions Plans

Anthesis Acquires The Climate Neutral Group Expanding Its Capabilities To Implement Net Zero Emissions Plans

Sustainability consulting firm Anthesis today announced that it has acquired the Climate Neutral Group to expand its portfolio of capabilities to help clients deliver on net zero emissions strategies. Since 2013 Anthesis has made a total of 15 acquisitions and has now added 50 carbon markets and offset developer experts to its 800-strong workforce. Netherlands-headquartered Climate Neutral Group was founded in 2002 and Anthesis has acquired the shares of the original impact investor DOEN Participaties. The deal is aligned with the Anthesis vision to provide a comprehensive range of consulting, data management, programme management and responsible sourcing capabilities which help clients implement and accelerate their net zero emissions strategies.

The acquisition of the Climate Neutral Group by Anthesis is a reflection of the rebound of the previously moribund voluntary carbon market. For most of the 2010s, limited demand for voluntary carbon credits resulted in prices so low that there was insufficient project finance for the market to expand. Since 2019 prices of Gold Standard and Verra certified carbon credits have risen from an average of €3 per metric ton of CO₂ to more than €5. Reflecting broader confidence in the voluntary carbon market, in May 2021, Averna Capital announced it had acquired and merged ClimateCare and Natural Capital Partners. This week Southpole announced it had acquired Italy-headquartered voluntary carbon markets player Carbonsink.

Market consolidation is also being driven by other factors. Firstly, the resolution of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at COP 26 has reduced the previously significant amount of uncertainty about the supply of voluntary carbon credits and the value of different project methodologies such as nature-based or renewable energy. This has put a floor under prices. Secondly, with more project finance coming into play there is a focus on scaling up the voluntary carbon market under the new Article 6 rules which is reshaping competitive dynamics. Thirdly, with thousands of firms launching net zero emissions strategies – including ExxonMobil – there is a bow wave of demand for integrated net zero solution providers like Anthesis to operationalize these plans rather than firms being required to work with dozens of smaller specialists.

Since 2019, hundreds of large corporates have launched major programmes to implement net zero emissions strategies by 2030. But these firms don’t have a Programme Management Office staffed with carbon, energy, sustainability and digital solutions experts. So they will need to hire consulting firms like Anthesis to accelerate the implementation of large-scale carbon management initiatives.