LES^SENCE Drawing on sustainable concepts

Creation of a Sustainable Portofolio

Les^sence Creation of Investments currently manages several private equity funds and co-investment vehicles with investments in the following locations and companies: Les^sence Swiss Sustainable Investments , is a leading impact investment management company dedicated to private equity investments in the financial services industry. Specifically, we partner with management teams to inject needed growth equity and facilitate buyout transactions in firms specializing in microfinance, small-and-medium enterprise credit, leasing, factoring, insurance, savings, payments and mobile money. Les^sence Investments currently manages several private funds and other investment vehicles for individual, family office and institutional investors.

Together with our portfolio companies, we provide access to capital and other critical financial services to the unbanked and underbanked, helping our clients to engage in small-business activity, increasing incomes and significantly impacting those living at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Trillions of dollars have been transferred to the poor in the last 50 years in charitable giving and services. Yet, poverty persists and billions of people go without daily basic human needs. While charitable giving is critical, alone it has not and will not break the cycle of poverty. When the poor are given access to capital and other financial products such as savings or insurance, communities are changed as capital is used for sustainable, economically beneficial activity.

Not only do these kinds of investments provide an economic return, they are a critical part of social transformation, giving dignity through work and empowerment to men and women of all socioeconomic classes. Calling upon market principles, we believe that investing, not giving only, has the potential to help solve this daunting world crisis. Creation Investments employs a for-profit model seeking to outperform direct charity socially as well as the broader market for our investors.

Socially responsible investments have experienced tremendous growth in the past five years, attracting trillions from institutions and individuals who care about impact not just profit. Yet, there is a significant difference between being socially responsible and socially active – the former focuses on the avoidance of harm whereas the later is concerned with positive social impact.

Socially responsible investments avoid dumping pollutants into lakes and streams. Socially active investments sponsor clean water projects. Socially responsible investments prohibit predatory lending. Socially active investments offer the poor access to capital to start businesses. Socially responsible investments filter out companies involved in arms and narcotics dealings. Socially active investments provide needed medication to those in the bottom of the pyramid.

Creation Investments seeks to address the needs of the BOP through supporting sustainable, socially active ventures with other like-minded, social entrepreneurs who desire to invest with purpose. While every investment we make involves negative screens on social and environmental practices, our portfolio companies proactively address social issues through profitable business operations.

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click up the link and discover our Crowdfunding campaign Force for Africa.
A crowdfunding project BY wemakeit
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We are planning a Foundrising Campaign for the regeneration of Congo-Zaire & Africa with a sustainable finance plan if you like to support our project just share the message.
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THE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLE

The blockchain technology as a foundation for distributed ledgers offers an innovative platform for a new decentralized and transparent transaction mechanism in industries and businesses. The inherited characteristics of this technology enhance trust through transparency and traceability within any transaction of data, goods, and financial resources. Despite initial doubts about this technology, recently governments and large corporations have investigated to adopt and improve this technology in various domains of applications, from finance, social and legal industries to design, manufacturing and supply chain networks. In this article, we focus in the current status of this technology and some of its applications. The potential benefit of such technology in manufacturing supply chain is then discussed in this article and a vision for the future blockchain ready manufacturing supply chain is proposed. Manufacturing of cardboard boxes are used as an example to demonstrate how such technology can be used in a global supply chain network. Finally, the requirements and challenges to adopt this technology in the future manufacturing systems are discussed.

                               

                                    

Drawing on sustainable concepts

Evaluating will always produce one result because each input value of a function corresponds to exactly one output value. When we know an output value and want to determine the input values that would produce that output value, we set the output equal to the function's formula and solve for the input.

ALGORITHMS

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm  is an unambiguous specification of how to solve a class of problems. Algorithms can perform calculation, data processing and automated reasoning tasks.

An informal definition could be "a set of rules that precisely defines a sequence of operations."which would include all computer programs, including programs that do not perform numeric calculations. Generally, a program is only an algorithm if it stops eventually

As an effective method, an algorithm can be expressed within a finite amount of space and time and in a well-defined formal language for calculating a function. Starting from an initial state and initial input (perhaps empty), the instructions describe a computation that, when executed, proceeds through a finite number of well-defined successive states, eventually producing "output" and terminating at a final ending state. The transition from one state to the next is not necessarily deterministic; some algorithms, known as randomized algorithms, incorporate random input.

In mathematics, an integrating factor is a function that is chosen to facilitate the solving of a given equation involving differentials. It is commonly used to solve ordinary differential equations, but is also used within multivariable calculus when multiplying through by an integrating factor allows an inexact differential to be made into an exact differential(which can then be integrated to give a scalar field). This is especially useful in thermodynamics where temperaturebecomes the integrating factor that makes entropy an exact differential.   

 

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is the branch of physics concerned with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics, irrespective of the composition or specific properties of the material or system in question. The laws of thermodynamics are explained in terms of macroscopic constituents by statistical mechanics. Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, especially physical chemistry, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Historically, thermodynamics developed out of a desire to increase the efficiency of early steam engines, particularly through the work of French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot (1824) who believed that engine efficiency was the key that could help France win the Napoleonic Wars.  Scottish physicist Lord Kelvin was the first to formulate a concise definition of thermodynamics in 1854 which stated, "Thermo-dynamics is the subject of the relation of heat to forces acting between contiguous parts of bodies, and the relation of heat to electrical agency."


FEEDSTOCK TYPES

A variety of biomass feedstocks can be used to produce energy (including transportation fuels) and bio-based products. The Bioenergy Technologies Office is focused on the development of cellulosic feedstocks—i.e., non-grain, non-food-based feedstocks—and on economically viable technologies to convert cellulosic material into transportation fuels and other products. Examples of cellulosic feedstock types being considered include the following:

-Agricultural residues – Non-food based by-products (e.g., corn stover)
-Energy crops – Woody energy crops (e.g., hybrid poplars, shrub willows) and herbaceous energy crops (e.g., switchgrass, miscanthus, sorghum, energycane)
-Forest resources – Existing and re-purposed pulp and paper products, logging residues, and forest thinnings.
-Industrial and other wastes – Waste processing materials (e.g., municipal solid wastes, urban renewal wood)
-Algae – A diverse group of primarily aquatic, photosynthetic algae and cyanobacteria ranging from the microscopic (microalgae and cyanobacteria) to large seaweeds (macroalgae).

Early efforts in the Feedstock Supply and Logistics Technology Area focused on the sustainable production, collection, and supply of agricultural and forestry residues, and to a much lesser extent, some dedicated energy crops. However, the expected increase in demand for biomass feedstocks over time will require additional sources of feedstock supply. Therefore a larger diversity of resources will enter the supply system, and appropriate logistics systems will be required for those resources as well.

The first step in developing a sustainable supply of biomass feedstock for the growing bioindustry is to identify the current and potential resources available for energy production, taking into account factors such as sustainability, competing uses for feedstocks, cost, and end-use application. The 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy is the third in a series of Energy Department national assessments that have calculated the potential supply of biomass in the United States. The report concludes that the United States has the future potential to produce at least one billion dry tons of biomass resources (composed of agricultural, forestry, waste, and algal materials) on an annual basis without adversely affecting the environment. This amount of biomass could be used to produce enough biofuel, biopower, and bioproducts to displace approximately 30% of 2005 U.S. petroleum consumption and would not negatively affect the production of food or other agricultural products.

FEEDSTOCK PRODUCTION

The growing bioindustry will convert domestically produced biomass resources into a range of fuels and products needed to reduce oil imports and boost the economy. A growing bioenergy industry will require large quantities of sustainably produced, high-quality biomass.

Sustainable feedstock production includes all of the operations required to create superior varieties and grow biomass feedstocks through the point where the biomass is harvested from the field or forest. Specific steps include germplasm collection and characterization, plant breeding and genomics, variety selection, development of Best Management Practices, Foundation seed production, and planting and managing the crop.


                                   




SUSTAINABILITYS

Sustainability is incorporated into all of the Bioenergy Technologies Office's feedstock production efforts. For example, the Bioenergy KDF and BioEnergy Atlas—developed as part of the Technology Area's resource assessment and development efforts—include a number of data layers that address the sustainability of an available resource, including soil quality data (such as soil carbon levels or soil bulk density), annual climate data (such as average temperature and precipitation), and production input data (such as fertilizer rates and water availability). The dedicated energy crop field trials being conducted as part of the Technology Area's resource development work will provide valuable information on the sustainability of specific energy crops by asking project performers to collect information such as water requirements of the crop, the contribution of the crop to net soil carbon gain or loss, invasiveness of the crop, and nitrogen fixation capability.

African Biodiversity as the most value proposition

ABN accompanies Africans in voicing their views on issues such as food and seed sovereignty, genetic engineering, agrofuels, biodiversity protection, extractive industries and the rights of small-holder farmers. We focus on indigenous knowledge, ecological agriculture and biodiversity related rights, policy and legislation. We pioneer culturally-centred approaches to social and ecological problems in Africa through sharing experiences, co-developing methodologies and creating a united African voice on the continent on these issues.

One of the common pressures faced by the ABN, and the rural communities with whom the partner organisations work, has been the tremendous push from governments and corporations to use hybrid and increasingly, genetically-modified seeds, which require costly inputs like fertilizers. Such costs are unaffordable to many African farmers especially as they struggle to cope with the affects of more frequent droughts and floods caused by climate change. Also this “Green Revolution” type approach advocated by corporations harms biodiversity and concentrates the control of agriculture in corporate hands. Community Seed and Knowledge is an innovative ABN programme that responds to this situation and builds climate resilience, through reviving traditional seed diversity.

It promotes ecological agriculture and local food sovereignty as the most effective and ethical way to feed the growing population and cope with climate change. But, most importantly, it focuses on the central role of indigenous, locally-adapted seed and traditional knowledge, especially women’s knowledge.ilds climate resilience, through reviving traditional seed diversity. It promotes ecological agriculture and local food sovereignty as the most effective and ethical way to feed the growing population and cope with climate change. But, most importantly, it focuses on the central role of indigenous, locally-adapted seed and traditional knowledge, especially women’s knowledge.

A Supply Chain Approach to Biochar Systems

Biochar systems are designed to meet four related primary objectives: improve soils, manage waste, generate renewable energy, and mitigate climate change. Supply chain models provide a holistic framework for examining biochar systems with an emphasis on product life cycle and end use. 

Drawing on concepts in supply chain management and engineering, this chapter presents biochar as a manufactured product with a wide range of feedstocks, production technologies, and end use options. Supply chain segments are discussed in detail using diverse examples from agriculture, forestry and other sectors that cut across different scales of production and socioeconomic environments. 

Particular attention is focused on the environmental impacts of different production and logistics functions, and the relationship between supply chain management and life cycle assessment. 

Building a microfinance blockchain supply chain

The connections between biochar supply chains and those of various co-products, substitute products, and final products are examined from economic and environmental perspectives. For individuals, organizations, and broad associations connected by biochar supply and demand, achieving biochar’s potential benefits efficiently will hinge on understanding, organizing, and managing information, resources and materials across the supply chain, moving biochar from a nascent to an established industry.

Microfinance refers to the providing of basic financial services to the poor, particularly in developing countries, providing underbanked and unbanked populations with access to capital and other financial products (including micro-savings, FX/remittance services, debit and credit cards, and micro-insurance). Also known as Inclusive Finance, Microfinance first came to prominence in the 1980s, although early experiments in microfinance began over 30 years ago in Bangladesh, Brazil, and a few other countries. Most notably, Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Microfinance and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, has helped to propel microfinance into the mainstream. Micro-credit is widely regarded as an essential tool for furthering economic development in developing countries and has proven to be one of the most effective and flexible strategies in the fight against global poverty. It is sustainable, and can be implemented upon a massive scale.

Micro-credit, a key area of microfinance, refers to the making of small loans, usually US $200 or less, to poor persons, usually women, in developing economic areas. These loans are made to help those living in poverty establish or expand self-sustaining businesses. The loans help the poor generate and increase income, providing them with stability for their families, opportunities for education, and protection from externalities. Assisting these entrepreneurs found and grow businesses imparts human dignity and social status, transforming them into producers and participants in their society. Although many factors contribute to global poverty, local moneylenders charge rates of interest upwards of 100% perpetuating the state of poverty for the working poor. Micro-credit offers access to cheaper capital and is powerful instrument for self-empowerment, enabling the poor, especially women, to break the cycle of poverty.

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Micro-credit loans are typically made to individuals who do not have access to formal financial institutions and who are self-employed, often household-based, entrepreneurs. In rural areas, they are usually small farmers and others who are engaged in small income-generating activities, such as food processing and petty trade. In urban areas, micro-credit recipients are more diverse, and include shopkeepers, service providers, artisans, small manufacturers, and street vendors.

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Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are entities that provide financial services, including such loans, to the very poor assisting this sector of the population. Most MFIs are non-profit institutions, with many MFIs affiliated with faith-based NGOs. Recently, reflecting a maturing of the microfinance industry, certain MFIs have organized themselves as commercial, for-profit institutions.

MFIs, both non-profit and commercial, have proven to engage in microfinance on a profitable basis, with industry average ROEs at 12%. The best microfinance institutions have ROAs that range between 5% and 15%. Loan default rates for micro-credit loans made in developing countries are slightly higher than 1%, besting loan default rates for the largest domestic financial institutions. In addition, several studies have shown that social impact is highly correlated to profitability. With larger scale, lower interest rates, and additional financial products and services, the most profitable MFIs have received the highest social impact scores and metrics, revealing the mutual reinforcement of financial and social returns.

The almost 8,000 MFIs currently service nearly 170 million clients worldwide, equating to $50 billion in assets. This level of service manages to meet approximately 10% of global demand for micro-credit. The total annual demand for micro-credit is estimated at $300 billion, with an estimated annual growth grate of 15% to 30%. In this environment, the largest and most sustainable MFIs are growing at a rate of between 30% and 70% per year, and many smaller institutions are growing at a faster rate.

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Traditionally, MFIs have obtained the capital for their lending activities through government grants and private donations. As the microfinance market has grown, these traditional sources of funding have proved to be inadequate to finance the growing demand for micro-credit. Many MFIs now are attempting to obtain capital from financial markets.

Les^sence Creation Investments is active in evaluating and pursuing investments in the Microfinance space as a means of achieving superior financial and social returns on investment..