[Press Release] Rimba Collective launches Progress Report 2022-24: Key Achievements and Future Goals

Rimba Collective Announces More Than 220,000 Hectares of Indonesian Forest Conservation and Restoration Successfully Financed

The pioneering nature-based solutions provider, financed by leading FMCG multinationals, has released a Progress Report 2022-24 Report showing Rimba Collective to be one of the world’s largest conservation financing mechanisms

The Rimba Collective, a pioneer of nature-based solutions based in Asia, has launched a Progress Report 2022-24 highlighting its successes over the period. These include financing 16 active projects covering over 224,107 hectares of forest conservation and restoration with USD 14 million of funding delivered to project operators to date. This is aligned with a plan to scale to 550,000 hectares by 2026.

The Rimba Collective is a first-of-its-kind initiative that provides a unique financing mechanism for nature-based solutions. These solutions are holistic approaches to protecting biodiversity, supporting communities and sustaining natural ecosystems.

One of the most important features of the Rimba Collective is that leading consumer goods manufacturers collaborate to fund nature-focused projects at significant scale and based on their proportionate use of palm oil, taking a long-term view on the investment. In doing so they adopt a shared responsibility and proportionately link the purchase of agricultural commodities to ecosystem outcomes. 

Michal Zrust, Founder and Chief Executive of Lestari Capital which manages the Rimba Collective said, “I am immensely proud of our remarkable collective effort over the last two years. I’d like to thank all of our Founding Partners who have worked tirelessly with us to develop Rimba Collective’s unique approach. Leading corporations know they need to demonstrate to their stakeholders the positive impact their companies can generate, and nature-based solutions, such as the Rimba Collective, are key risk management mechanisms. In this latest report we are confirming both the impact we have achieved to date and our approach to delivering resilient supply chains while ensuring credibility of sustainability commitments.”

The Rimba Collective’s approach means identifying forestry conservation and restoration projects that meet a high standard of monitoring and independent evaluation to ensure they deliver long-term verified outcomes. This mechanism empowers the conservation of forests with diverse implications including climate benefits, protection of endangered and vulnerable species’ habitats, alongside more than 10,000 forest-dependent households.

The Rimba Collective intends to continue with this success and the report highlights that it will finance the conservation and restoration of 550,000 hectares by 2026.