“Now is the time when ideas that make a difference around the environment and sustainability have monetary value … combined with their social value.”
At graduate school Anthony Milewski completed Russian studies and wished to work in Russia. This led to an opportunity to work in London and then transfer to Moscow, where he honed his skill in investing in mining and traded commodities of all types – from sustainable commodities to mined and grown commodities.
He currently combines leading one of the largest suppliers of mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), a nickel and cobalt precipitate used by the growing battery industry, with a passion for improving the carbon impact of human progress. Environmental good in a capitalist model.
Anthony is the chairman of Nickel 28, one of the largest suppliers in the world of MHP, a battery concentrate used by the growing battery industry. He combines this with a pursuit of sustainability principles that offset the carbon footprint of the mining, and mankind’s modern demand patterns and lifestyle. Anthony invests in both regulated exchange traded credits and the voluntary carbon market.
Voluntary carbon markets are considered fascinating as they direct private financing to climate-action projects. That is, they combine diverse nature-based solutions, e.g. saving forests and reforestation, operating a protection habitat or sanctuary, preserving blue carbon ecosystems, with technological carbon capture, and facilitating the entrepreneurial drive for profit. Almost every industry is looking to create or buy carbon credits as they attempt to improve environmental impact, while still facilitating a modern lifestyle, so the demand for carbon reduction options is growing. A new class of investments includes carbon streaming, modeled on mining royalties and streaming, where investors prepay for carbon credits and environmental projects.
Anthony sees a potential 25% escalation in prices and investment returns generally over the near term as 25% of all dollars ever printed were produced during the pandemic, and are all chasing the same liquidity. Venture markets have suffered most, recently, as many juniors are in mining and the liquidity in that market has transferred to some extent to new investments like cryptocurrency.
Success growing business and increasing shareholder returns requires the entrepreneur to have a divergent view. Anthony quotes examples where the founder had an idea, often related to an aspect of their life or an early opinion on a situation in the world, before it became mainstream or generally held. These often deliver returns due to being an early entrant on a beneficial trend.
In terms of future trends, Anthony expects the green wave to be the biggest and to be experienced in many ways. Through ESG, carbon credits and trading, climate actions like artificial intelligence around climate change, and many other ideas we can all witness the momentum.
