Sustainable Finance

Sustainable Finance

Sustainable finance is a crucial component of the green transition.

Sustainable finance means investing and debt financing, using public or private capital, that takes environmental and social considerations into account. It is the financial market’s response to the emissions reduction targets set in global climate agreements, which require massive, long-term investments in sustainable initiatives. The demand has translated into major changes in legislation, most notably the EU’s sustainable finance package consisting of the Taxonomy Regulation, the Disclosure Regulation and the Low Carbon Benchmark Regulation, which apply automatically to all Member States.

Be it green bonds, ESG-linked lending or other instruments, our team supports you in moving towards sustainability. You can be confident that your project meets the latest sustainability standards.

Latest references

We advised Gasum Oy in a long-term financing arrangement of a total of EUR 565 million with its current lenders. The arrangement includes term loans and revolving credit facilities. It introduced certain sustainability targets, as the margin of the sustainability-linked revolving loan facility is tied to Gasum’s own sustainability goals, which are related to volumes of renewable gas, production of sustainable biogas, and safety. In addition, a part of the term loans is utilised as a green loan to finance Gasum’s strategic investments into increased biogas production both by expanding its production at the existing plants and by constructing new large-scale plants. Nordea acted as coordinator, OP Corporate Bank as sustainability coordinator, and SEB as co-coordinator and agent of the financing arrangement.
Case published 18.6.2024
We advised WithSecure Oyj in the sale of its open source data collection product and business to Patria Oyj. The divested business combining software and services falls outside WithSecure’s current strategy. Through the sale, WithSecure sharpens its focus on the Elements portfolio. WithSecure is a global cyber security company (listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki) with more than 35 years of industry experience. WithSecure offers partners flexible commercial models, ensuring mutual success across the dynamic cyber security landscape. Patria is an international company in the defence and security industry offering defence, security and aviation life cycle support services and technology solutions. As a result of the transaction, Patria will open a new office in Oulu and 10 WithSecure experts currently working in the business area will join Patria. 
Case published 30.9.2024
We advised A. Ahlström in establishing a corporate sustainability due diligence process plan which incorporates best practices and tailored solutions based on our expertise within relevant business sectors. Our comprehensive ESG offering also included tailored training for members of the investment team and management team and the board of directors of several portfolio companies. ‘The ESG team at Castrén & Snellman provided us with legal and practical advice around the ESG regulatory tsunami that we need to incorporate in our ESG work,’ comments Camilla Sågbom, Director, Sustainability and Communications, at A. Ahlström Oy. A. Ahlström is a family-owned industrial company, developing leading global specialist positions in Forest & Fiber and Environmental technology sectors.
Case published 5.9.2024
We represented Vapaus Bikes Finland Oy, a company offering employee benefit bikes, in its international EUR 10 million Series A funding round. The investors behind the funding are private equity investors Shift4Good and Superhero Capital Ltd as well as Tesi together with the European Guarantee Fund of the European Investment Bank. The equity-based funding will support the company’s international expansion, software development, platform automation, and the growth of its concept for the second-hand market of bikes. Vapaus Bikes Finland is at the forefront of sustainable mobility services and has been a pioneer in the Employee Benefit Bikes sector since late 2020. It has been ranked among Finland’s fastest growing companies. Shift4Good is an impact venture capital fund focused on the decarbonisation of the transportation sector. Tesi (officially Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned, market-driven investment company that invests in venture capital and private equity funds and directly in Finnish startups and growth companies.
Case published 21.8.2024