What started as a group of Spider Man enthusiasts, is now a company capable of producing synthetic silk on a commercial scale. And not only does their silk feel and perform exactly like the natural material, but it can be modified to suit the needs of virtually any industrial application.

Ulrich Scherbel is the CEO of AMSilk, a Germany-based company that specializes in the creation of lab-grown silk products. Their products are now in use in a range of industries, including shampoo, home care, and luxury textiles.

The focus on performance and sustainability has attracted the attention of several large luxury fashion retailers, including several stores where you’ll be able to find AMSilk products this holiday season.

So what makes silk such a sought-after material? Will consumers accept a synthetic alternative for a fabric that’s become synonymous with luxury? And what applications for silk exist beyond the luxury market?

Let’s find out.

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To learn more about AMSilk, you can check them out at: https://www.amsilk.com/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at: PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

Billions of dollars are being spent on new CapEx to satisfy the growing energy needs of AI data centres. But one firm is convinced that the answer isn’t building new capacity, but being smarter in utilizing the power we already have.

Varun Sivaram is the Founder and CEO of Emerald AI, a company whose software aims to make data centres more ‘flexible’, by intelligently modulating their computational load, and avoiding demand spikes that could overload the grid.

So what does a truly flexible data centre look like? How much capacity could Emerald’s software actually hope to free up? And what happens to everyone who bet big on an explosion in power demand that may never materialize?

Let’s find out.

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To learn more about Emerald AI, you can check them out at: https://www.emeraldai.co/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

After years of skyrocketing investment, the renewables industry seems to have lost some of its lustre. With tax credits that once supercharged new wind and solar development being rolled back, and general enthusiasm waning, are we witnessing the bubble burst on renewable energy?

Mark Noyes definitely doesn't think so. He's the CEO of TerraForm Power, a fully integrated renewables business with 3 gigawatts of existing capacity and 6 more currently in development. Despite shifting political and economic winds, Mark remains confident that renewables will play a pivotal role in meeting America's exploding energy demands.

So how have policy shifts impacted the viability of solar and wind development? Will battery storage fix the intermittency issues that have limited adoption? And how much of the supposed spike in demand from AI data centers will actually materialize?

Let’s find out.

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To learn more about TerraForm Power, you can check them out at: https://www.terraform.com/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

To build the low-carbon economy of the future, we’re going to need a lot more steel. But right now, most steel is produced from high-carbon-emitting blast furnaces, and there’s nowhere near enough recyclable steel to meet global demand. So how do we make more steel, without pumping more carbon into the atmosphere?

Parker Meeks is the President and CEO of Utility Global, a company leveraging their revolutionary tech to decarbonize global steel production. Utility’s platform can be incorporated into existing facilities, requires relatively minimal capital expenditure, and here’s the kicker: no new energy infrastructure is needed, because the whole process powers itself.

So how does it actually work? What are its advantages over other methods of producing ‘green steel’? And most importantly, can global steel producers be convinced that Utility is the way to go when it comes to decarbonization?

Let’s find out.

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To learn more about Utility Global, you can check them out at: https://www.utilityglobal.com/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

Roughly a third of all food produced in the United States ends up in a landfill. A lot of that comes from dumpsters behind grocery stores, where food that could otherwise be marked down or donated ends up rotting in the trash.

Ryan Begin is the CEO of Divert, a company that's using its incredible trove of data to keep food out of landfills. At the core of their pitch is some simple in-store infrastructure that allows retailers to see exactly what's ending up in the trash, and empowers them to make smarter choices.

But what makes solving the issue of food waste so complex in the first place? Why would a company partner with Divert instead of, say, paying a hauler to bring it to the landfill? And what about the current US regulatory environment makes this an attractive proposition?

Let's find out.

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To learn more about Divert, you can check them out at: https://divertinc.com/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

Commercial aviation has completely altered the nature of life on Earth, and forever changed the way humans think about distance. But in 2023, the industry was responsible for 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, and given the difficulties of electrifying heavy transport, other solutions are clearly needed.

Today's guest is Robert Schuetzle, the CEO of Infinium, a company specializing in the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Instead of petroleum, Infinium's fuels are made using waste CO2, renewable energy and water, and can be used in planes without requiring any changes to existing infrastructure.

But how robust is the market for sustainable aviation fuels? How do you convince airlines to enter into long-term offtake agreements when margins within the industry are already razor-thin? And how does the SAF industry move from the proof-of-concept phase to the production volumes needed to really make a dent in emissions?

Let's find out.

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To learn more about Infinium, you can check them out at: https://www.infiniumco.com/

If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.com

For more information on BCG PIPE, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity

From turning food waste into energy, to sustainable steel and low-emission aviation fuel: Pitching Progress brings you the stories of leaders working to decarbonize the industries that power our world. On this show from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s top green companies take part in an in-depth pitch session that challenges them to demonstrate their business’s environmental impact, and the value they create for investors.

Pitching Progress is hosted by Vinay Shandal, who leads BCG’s sustainable investing business. Vinay draws on his experience at the intersection of capital and climate to ask his guests the tough questions, and challenges them to convince investors that the business is good for the world and good for their wallets.

Join us as we demystify the world where the world’s largest investors are deploying capital, and inspire the next wave of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs to scale the new economy.

Keep an eye out for our first episode, releasing on Thursday, October 2nd, and new episodes coming in the feed every two weeks.