12 April 2024, London. Ocean 14 Capital Fund 1 SCSp (or the “Ocean 14 Capital Fund”), a private equity impact investment fund focused on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14): Life Below Water, and Novelplast (or the “Company”), an Irish mechanical recycler announce today that they have signed an investment deal and have partnered to continue growing Novelplast’s business.

Founded in 2017, Novelplast has developed a unique manufacturing process using in-house expertise to upcycle post-industrial and post-consumer PET/polyester feedstocks into high quality rPET pellets, suitable for supply into the sheet, fibre and strapping industries.

The Company is leading the change in how those feedstock materials can be recycled and repurposed, serving its customers with a competitive recycled product.

“Over the last 5 years we have made huge progress in Novelplast, through expanding our product offering, increasing our sales annually and developing a sustainable company with the flexibility and expertise to continue growing into the future,” said Neil Skeffington, Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are delighted to welcome Ocean 14 Capital Fund 1 as significant investors in Novelplast as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey. As an impact investor, the fund will bring a level of expertise in the sector as well as the capital required to help us achieve our goal of becoming one of the largest recyclers in the world, but more importantly to become one of the most responsible recyclers in the world,” added Skeffington.

“We are pleased to partner with Novelplast as a leading Irish PET recycler with unique manufacturing expertise in repurposing this polymer. Novelplast’s team under the leadership of Neil Skeffington have developed competitive recycled pellets suitable for multiple industries and applications,” said Francisco Saraiva Gomes, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Ocean 14 Capital.

“We are looking forward to support growth internationally and to enable increasingly efficient usage of resources through an extended life cycle. We believe this will incentivise further collection and recycling of plastic where it could otherwise end up in the environment, in turn fueling the company’s growth,” added Gomes.

Plastic waste is a key issue facing the planet with micro plastics now proven to cause damage to human health and ocean plastic pollution harming marine species and ecosystems. Production of plastics reached a staggering 400.3 million metric tons in 2022, with global plastic recycling rates well below 10%.

The Ocean 14 Capital Fund’s investment in Novelplast is particularly timely considering regulatory and consumer pressures within a global recycled plastics market valued at approximately $50 billion globally in 2022 and expected to growth at a compound annual rate of roughly 7% (from 2022) to 2030, of which PET is projected to reach nearly $24 billion by 2030.

About Ocean 14 Capital

Ocean 14 Capital Fund 1 SCSp (or the “Fund”) is an impact fund with €200 million of raised capital and focused on driving a sustainable and regenerative blue economy through an industrial approach. The Fund’s investment adviser, Ocean 14 Capital Ltd, has a team who combine more than 100+ years of investment, impact and industry experience. The investment adviser’s team and advisers are some of the world’s most renowned scientists and marine biologists, and have unparalleled access to proprietary deal flow and sector knowledge. www.ocean14capital.com

About Novelplast  

Founded in 2017, Novelplast is an Irish PET mechanical recycler that upcycles post-industrial and post-consumer PET post-industrial and post-consumer PET/polyester feedstocks into high quality RPET pellets, suitable for supply into the sheet, fibre and strapping industries. www.novelplast.ie

1 November, 2023 London: Ocean 14 Capital has announced an investment into Bureo, an innovative company that is on a mission to end fishing net pollution to help protect our oceans by providing fishermen with an end-of-life solution for discarded fishing nets.

These nets, which are collected, cleaned and processed into NetPlus® pellets that are 100% recycled, fully traceable and make for a premium recycled material for nylon fabric and other plastic products, are used by the likes of Toyota Tsusho, Patagonia, Trek, Quiksilver, Brixton, Orvis and more.

Ocean 14 Capital is an impact fund focused on driving a sustainable and regenerative “blue economy” – a sector that uses ocean resources for economic growth and preservation.

Bureo, founded by David Stover, Ben Kneppers and Kevin Ahearn in 2013, received the financial commitment from UK-based Ocean 14 Capital in their Series B raise, led by Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and further supported by like-minded impact investors including Mirova, Susquehanna Foundation and Conservation International Ventures.

This recent fundraise will enable Bureo to expand its facilities and equipment, develop the NetPlus® brand and expand the workforce for the next growth stage, as well as continue to develop solutions to secure the future of our oceans by reducing one of the most harmful forms of ocean pollution – discarded fishing nets.

“Bureo is a model of a purpose-led business generating value by transforming end-of-life plastic waste,” notes investor Chris Gorrell Barnes, founding partner of UK based Ocean 14 Capital. “By scaling up the company’s collection activities, the magnitude of its impact becomes increasingly apparent. By materially reducing the volume of fishing nets that would otherwise find their way into our oceans or be incinerated, Bureo has a pivotal role in global environmental efforts.”

Since launching in 2013, Bureo has scaled its supply of its rHDPE & rNylon under its trademarked NetPlus® brand name from approx. 10 tonnes in 2014, to 1,130 tonnes in 2022 and is expecting over 1,500 tonnes for 2023.

“We are betting that companies and consumers will continue to move away from virgin plastics and instead focus on adopting non-extractive raw materials with lower impact production” says Bureo co-founder David Stover. “We know our work has just begun, and we feel a responsibility to bring our solution for discarded nets and expand positive impacts to more coastal communities around the world.”

Taking action to preserve our oceans was a major talking point at the 2023 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland. A dedicated session featuring Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s community of ocean leaders flagged that a sustainable blue economy represents no less than “the future of human security” and is critical for intergenerational justice.

Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 14: Life Below Water as a guiding principle, Ocean 14 Capital is searching for entrepreneurs and businesses with big ideas around aquaculture and alternative proteins, reducing plastic waste pollution, protecting ecosystems and marine flora, and ending overfishing.

The €167 million fund’s mission is to supercharge the blue economy, which is expected to be worth $3 trillion by 2030, according to the OECD. At the same time, it will provide jobs to 40 million people.

Ocean 14 Capital Limited is an appointed representative of G10 Capital Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

-ends-

About Ocean 14 Capital Fund I SCSp

Ocean 14 Capital Fund I SCSp (“Ocean 14 Capital Fund” or the “Fund”) is an impact fund now targeting €200 million and focused on driving a sustainable and regenerative blue economy. The fund’s investment adviser, Ocean 14 Capital Ltd, has a team who combine more than 65 years of investment, impact, and industry experience. The investment adviser’s team and advisers are considered to be some of the world’s most renowned scientists and marine biologists, and it is considered that they have unparalleled access to proprietary deal flow and sector knowledge. www.ocean14capital.com

MEDIA CONTACTS

Ocean 14 Capital:

Tara O’Driscoll, CEO, The Prophets – tara@theprophets.co.uk / +44 07791 091 909

Bureo:

Jessica Davis, Wilder PR
jessica@wilderpr.com