Nike Sustainability Leader Joins Board of Cutting-Edge Biomaterials Start-up Evoco

Nike Sustainability Leader Joins Board of Cutting-Edge Biomaterials Start-up Evoco, Pioneering the Future of Sustainable Material Innovation

[Toronto, October 18th] – Evoco, a trailblazing force in the biomaterials innovation space founded to defossilize the material value chain by replacing oil with plants, proudly announces the appointment of Liz Rodgers, a proven global sustainability executive to its Board as an independent director.

Liz currently serves as Vice President of Sustainable Product of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), the world’s leading designer, marketer, and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. She joined Nike in 1995 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the footwear and apparel divisions as well as roles in strategic planning and marketplace. In her current role, Liz leads a team focused on integrating sustainability across product creation to help protect the future of sport and maintain an environment where all athletes can live, train, and thrive.

“Liz’s extensive experience in driving and integrating sustainability at scale is particularly valuable to support our mission to foster holistic transformation in material manufacturing for global consumer brands” said Jason Robinson, Founder and CEO at Evoco.

As Evoco continues to gain momentum in the next-generation material industry, this addition to our board marks a strategic move towards harnessing diverse talents and perspectives for high-performance material innovation.

“Evoco is a company dedicated to making a substantial difference one product at a time. I am thrilled and honored to contribute my expertise in business and governance to support Evoco at this crucial juncture in its path to exponential growth” Liz Rodgers.

For more information, contact:

Gerald Alvoet
VP of Marketing
galvoet@evocoltd.com
+1-647-299-0553

About Evoco Ltd

Evoco Ltd is a global innovation company founded to close the loop on unsustainable goods, for good. Harnessing the power of nature, Evoco leverages its plant-based chemistry platform to create scalable novel materials to help its brand partners develop the next generation of high-performing, low-carbon products, with minimal impact at the end of life. Starting with footwear, Evoco’s solutions have been adopted by a variety of global brands, such as Vans, Kodiak, Bared, Timberland, and Keen.

Through an expansive innovation roadmap led through our R&D center in Toronto, Canada, Evoco is expanding its material solutions to positively impact everything we walk on, sit on, drive in, and sleep on.

To learn more, please visit: evocoltd.com

Evoco’s CEO and Co-Founder, Jason Robinson, is a Clean50 Award Recipient for 2024

Evoco’s CEO and Co-Founder, Jason Robinson, is a Clean50 Award Recipient for 2024

Toronto, Canada, Sept. 29, 2023 – Evoco, a global innovation company founded to defossilize the material value chain, announced today that its Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robinson has been recognized as a 2024 Clean50 Honouree 

“Canada’s Clean50 Awards are announced annually by Delta Management Group and the Clean50 organization to recognize those 50 individuals who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada over the past 2 years,” said Gavin Pitchford, Delta Management Group CEO.

“This national environmental recognition is a testament to our team’s trailblazing efforts and dedication in creating and scaling innovative material solutions with measurable and verifiable impact” said Jason Robinson. “And as a strong proponent of cross-sectorial collaboration, I value this unique opportunity to engage with other sustainability leaders from all sectors of the Canadian economy.”

As a disruptive pioneer in the industry with 20 years of experience in renewable and cleantech technologies, Jason is focused on creating better-performing, responsible, and ecological products. His expertise in engineering and science has prepared him to charter this new territory and challenge the status quo every step of the way.

Evoco is committed to authentic sustainability, helping numerous consumer brands de-fossilize their supply chains by providing them with plant-based material solutions, such as FATES™, its eco-foam. Now commercialized, FATES cuts carbon emissions by up to 70% and minimizes the product’s end-of-life impact through its advanced detoxifying properties.

Starting in footwear first with global brand partners such as shoe giant VANS, the switch to FATES™ resulted in a reduction of over 1.4 KT CO2e greenhouse gas emissions so far.

At a time when transparency means everything, peeling back on what it means to be green is a driving force for Evoco’s Co-Founder and CEO, Jason Robinson.

To combat greenwashing, Evoco’s 70 to 80% plant-based materials are third-party certified by USDA and GreenCircle, as well as Vegan certified, as there are no animal-derived products.
Moving into 2024, Evoco will continue to innovate through plant-based materials that reduce carbon emissions without compromising performance, revolutionizing the materials used in the products we walk in, sleep in, and drive in.

For more information, contact:

Gerald Alvoet
VP of Marketing
galvoet@evocoltd.com
+1-647-299-0553

About Evoco Ltd

 

Evoco Ltd is a global innovation company founded to close the loop on unsustainable goods, for good. Harnessing the power of nature, Evoco leverages its plant-based chemistry platform to create scalable novel materials to help its brand partners develop the next generation of high-performing, low carbon products, with minimal impact at end of life. Starting with footwear, Evoco’s solutions have been adopted by a variety of global brands, such as Vans, Kodiak, Bared, Timberland and Keen.         
Through an expansive innovation roadmap led through our R&D center in Toronto, Canada, Evoco is expanding its material solutions to positively impact everything we walk on, sit on, drive in and sleep on.

About Delta Management Group / Canada’s Clean50

Leading ESG, sustainability and clean tech search firm Delta Management Group founded, and remains the steward of the Canada’s Clean50 awards, created in 2011 to annually identify, recognize and connect 50 sustainability leaders from every sector of Canadian endeavor, in order to facilitate understanding, collaboration and innovation in the fight to keep climate change impacts below 1.5 degrees C. Ancillary awards also recognize 20 Emerging Leaders and the 25 Top Sustainability Projects of the year, as well as bestow Lifetime Achievement designations.   

EVOCO Ltd raises CAD $12M in series B funding to scale its plant-based materials platform and support its consumer goods partners in migrating to sustainably sourced feedstocks

EVOCO Ltd raises CAD $12M in series B funding to scale its plant-based materials platform and support its consumer goods partners in migrating to sustainably sourced feedstocks

Toronto, March 27th – Evoco Ltd., a leading research and development company focused on creating sustainable plant-based materials, announced today a successful Series B funding round of CAD $12 million. The investment was led by Circular Innovation Fund- (CIF) – a fund jointly managed by European-based Demeter and North American-based Cycle Capital, joined by new investor Export Development Canada (EDC), and return investor The Stewart Group Limited (SGL).

“We are delighted to contribute to Evoco’s expansion via the Circular Innovation Fund managed by Cycle Capital and Demeter as they continue to leverage agricultural and plant-based feedstocks to create smarter and cleaner consumer products that will bring sustainable solutions to various consumer goods and industrial markets.” said Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder and Managing Partner at Cycle Capital. “As businesses look to cater towards a growing sustainability-focused consumer base, Evoco’s solutions will help businesses produce more environmentally friendly products in the years ahead.”

Founded in 2017, Evoco develops and commercializes high-performance, low-impact materials for a range of partners looking to mitigate their reliance on fossil fuel. “Evoco was founded to create innovative material solutions by harnessing the power of plants, as we believe plants can be the number one source in removing and mitigating the use of oil in any value chain we are using as human beings today” said Evoco CEO and founder Jason Robinson.      

The company’s flagship technology, FATES®, a patented eco-foam boasting an industry-leading 80% plant-based content, can be adapted to a wide range of applications and is readily scalable. Evoco has initially partnered with established brands in the footwear industry such as Vans, Keen, and Timberland.

“Evoco has had remarkable growth and innovation breakthroughs in accelerating the adoption of plant-based materials with their global partners” said The Stewart Group CEO, Bill Morris. “At The Stewart Group we seek out progressive technologies that make a meaningful difference in our daily lives. Our further investment in Evoco is a testament to our shared vision of enabling industries to create sustainable products and reduce their environmental footprint.”           

Evoco recently opened its own production facility in Vietnam to meet its global customers’ demand and this new funding will accelerate its operational footprint expansion globally. The company will also be embarking on new partnerships with leading material manufacturers to further support its diversification.  

In addition, this funding round will allow Evoco to extend its materials innovation offering, providing solutions including leather alternatives, plastics, 3D printing, and allowing the company to enter additional verticals such as furniture, automotive, bedding and fashion.

“EDC is pleased to support Evoco’s latest round of funding, as the company expands its suite of innovative and sustainable solutions to a global audience,” said Lissa Bjerkelund, Vice-President, Investments and Mid-Market Lending at EDC. “The company’s impressive growth is attributed to its positive impact in the sustainable materials sector, and in particular, reducing the environmental harm in the manufacturing process of everyday items. Evoco’s growth trajectory positions them as a global leader in sustainability, and with this investment we look forward to their continued success in the years ahead.”

As a result, Ben Forcier, Senior Partner at Circular Innovation Fund joins Evoco Ltd.’s Board of Directors.         

About Evoco Ltd.

Evoco Ltd is a global innovation company founded to close the loop on unsustainable goods, for good. Harnessing the power of nature, Evoco leverages its plant-based chemistry platform to create scalable novel materials to help its brand partners develop the next generation of high-performing, low carbon products, with minimal impact at end of life. Starting with footwear, Evoco’s solutions have been adopted by a variety of global brands, such as Vans, Kodiak, Bared, Timberland and Keen.          
Through an expansive innovation roadmap led through our R&D center in Toronto, Canada, Evoco is expanding its material solutions to positively impact everything we walk on, sit on, drive in and sleep on.
To learn more, please visit: evocoltd.com

About Circular Innovation Fund

The Circular Innovation Fund (“CIF”) is a global venture capital fund focused solely on circular innovation. It is a joint venture between leading cleantech capital managers – Paris-based Demeter and Montreal-based Cycle Capital. The fund invests in growth-stage companies from North America, Europe and Asia developing breakthrough new materials, circular packaging, recycling and waste innovations, logistics, as well as eco-efficient processes & design, and circular business models.
For more information on the Circular Innovation Fund, visit: circularinnovationfund.com

About The Stewart Group Limited (SGL)

The Stewart Group Limited is a 125-year-old privately held company with a global presence. From its head office location in Markham, Ontario and facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia, SGL provides its global customers with a wide array of quality products and services, including footwear and footcare products, odor-controlling technologies, and gels used in the protection of fiber optic and structural cables.

About EDC

Export Development Canada (EDC) is a financial Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian businesses make an impact at home and abroad. EDC has the financial products and knowledge Canadian companies need to confidently enter new markets, reduce financial risk and grow their business as they go from local to global. Together, EDC and Canadian companies are building a more prosperous, stronger and sustainable economy for all Canadians.

Public Relations Contacts

Jen Sivananthan        
jsivananthan@evocoltd.com

Catherine Bérubé      
cberube@cyclecapital.com
+1-514-629-1022

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