E Co. bites | Series 4
Welcome to our 4th series of E Co. bites! We share short and easily digestible climate finance explainers, technical lessons, and more about us, our work, and how you can support our mission.
Our Principal consultant, David Leipziger highlights the importance of impact assessment in directing funding effectively. By analysing data and evidence, we can determine what works and refine future investments. He discusses E Co.’s recent project in Serbia, where the team evaluated the country’s first €900 million green bond raise. Working with UNDP and government ministries, they tracked impacts across sectors, providing insights to attract further investment.
Watch David share these insights below 👇
TRANSCRIPT
In any context, allocating funding to the right solutions requires an understanding of what’s working and what’s not. The only way to do this is to investigate the data.
Whether you call it performance evaluation, measurement & validation, or impact assessment — you want to know the same thing: is a given investment working and what can we learn from it?
In our universe, this means trying to maximise climate-related benefits — but also externalities like social inclusion or economic growth. We undertake impact assessments of all kinds — from development programmes to infrastructure investments, from climate projects to policy platforms. In all these contexts, our role is to assess the empirical evidence and think critically about the outcomes. Doing this well requires an open mind and readiness to adjust. Conclusions need to be based on evidence — not assumptions — and you need to qualify subjective insights and use representative data.
We brought this mindset to a recent E Co project in Serbia, where we undertook an impact assessment of the country’s first green bond raise. The Serbian Ministry of FInance raised nearly 900 million euros in green bonds, and allocated the proceeds into energy efficiency, sustainable water and waste programmes, forestry services, and low-carbon transport. We worked with UNDP and the government ministries to track the mitigation and adpatation impacts. Our experts had to trace investment flows and measure incremental impacts across multiple sectors. This required working closely with government and industry relying on our local team in Belgrade. Ultimately, we provided the govenrment with a multivariate analysis that will help them attract new investment into the highest-impact sectors.
This is the value of impact assessment done well. It produces valuable learning for the next iteration of funding. This means useful insights — not just for our clients — but for E Co. experts as well.
About E Co.
We are E Co. We are a diverse and global team driven to build a sustainable future. For over 25 years, we’ve been supporting and guiding our clients to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient development. We specialise in helping our clients lay foundations for transformative change, ensuring climate finance achieves its greatest impact.
We’ve mobilised over USD 5.9 billion from major climate funds with a 100% project approval rate. We work with global funds, UN agencies, national governments, development agencies, development finance, not for profits, businesses and investors. Clients include UNDP, IUCN, EBRD, FCDO, The World Bank, GCF, NEFCO, IIED, The Lightsmith Group.
We’ve worked on over 540 assignments in over 180 countries. Our clients span the public and private sectors, from international agencies and NGOs to governments, financial institutions, and global funds. We partner with them to turn ambitious climate goals into concrete action and lasting impact.
Across 17 sectors and seven services, we offer end-to-end support, from assessing market opportunities and formulating impactful strategies to designing and evaluating transformative programmes and projects. We empower clients to access and manage climate funds, develop effective policies, and build capacity for long-term individual and institutional success.
With deep expertise in climate finance and systemic transformation, we bring a nuanced understanding of sectors, cultures, and contexts. We lower risk, increase predictability, and design for impact, ensuring your investments create lasting, positive change.
E Co. is your trusted partner in navigating the complexities of climate finance and sustainable development, and together, we will make an impact.