Vauban Infrastructure Partners and Carbone 4 Announce a Joint Initiative

Vauban Infrastructure Partners ("Vauban "), a long-term investor in critical infrastructure, and Carbone 4, a consulting firm specializing in decarbonization strategies and climate change adaptation, are pleased to announce a new partnership.

In a world transitioning toward a resilient, low-carbon economy, it is crucial that infrastructure financing stakeholders have access to shared, operational tools to help achieve carbon neutrality and manage climate risks. In light of this, Vauban and Carbone 4 have decided to form a partnership dedicated to developing a methodology for analyzing physical climate risks in North America.

This joint initiative is based on the CIARA (Carbon Impact Analytics for Real Assets) methodology, which aims to develop key performance indicators addressing the following two climate-related concerns:

1. Decarbonization: Aligning Infrastructure Portfolios with the Paris Agreement.
2. Business Resilience: Managing Climate Risks to Vulnerable Assets More Effectively.

Laurent Morel, a partner at Carbone 4, explains: "This methodology draws on Carbone 4’s fifteen years of experience in the field of physical risks related to climate change. It enables investors to identify potential risks to their portfolios. Infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its long lifespan. Conducting a CIARA analysis is the first essential step for investors who wish to implement a climate change adaptation strategy."

Gwenola Chambon, The CEO and co-founder of Vauban Infrastructure Partners adds: “Vauban is already committed to being a pioneer in the implementation of ESG in the European infrastructure sector, notably through its annual research conducted in collaboration with industry experts, academics, and all of its stakeholders (1), as well as through initiatives such as the UN PRI Infrastructure Committee and The Initiative for Climate International (iCI). Developing this new partnership with Carbone 4 will enable us to align the methodology for calculating the climate impact of our assets across our global portfolios, marking another significant step forward in advancing our strategic climate plans across our entire portfolio. “This historic partnership will enable Carbone 4 to expand its scope of analysis to all of North America. This is a major step forward in the ongoing fight against climate change, not only for us but for the entire community.”

(1) “The Impact of Infrastructure on Climate Change,” published in 2021, and “The Importance of Social Acceptability for the Infrastructure Sector,” published in 2022

About Carbone 4

Led by Alain Grandjean, Laurent Morel, and Jean-Marc Jancovici, Carbone 4 is an independent consulting firm specializing in the energy transition, which offers its expertise to public and private sector organizations. Convinced that proactively addressing the challenges of climate change is the best possible approach, Carbone 4 works with its clients to help them transform these challenges into a powerful driver of innovation, a source of competitive advantage, and a motivator for their teams. For the financial sector, Carbone 4 develops methodologies and tools tailored to each business line to enable them to measure and highlight the carbon impact of their financing and their contribution to the energy transition. www.carbone4.com

About Vauban Infrastructure Partners

Vauban Infrastructure Partners is an asset management firm specializing in investments in core infrastructure assets. Based in Paris and with a subsidiary in Luxembourg, its team consists of 65 professionals who have been working together for over a decade. Vauban IP is an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, dedicated to sustainable equity investments. Vauban Infrastructure Partners pursues a strategy focused on investments in European brownfield assets, delivering long-term returns commensurate with their underlying nature, and on creating sustainable value in the interest of all stakeholders. To date, Vauban Infrastructure Partners manages nearly 7.2 billion euros, primarily across six core infrastructure funds, on behalf of more than 100 investors in 17 different countries, and has invested in more than 70 assets in the mobility, energy services, and social and digital infrastructure across 13 different countries.

https://vauban-ip.com/fr/