Closed Loop
Infrastructure Group
We aim to build a circular economy supported by strong infrastructure that ensures all valuable materials––from plastics to paper, glass and aluminum––are recovered after use, kept in circulation and never go to waste.
Collectively funded by the world’s largest retailers, corporate foundations, industry associations, materials science and consumer goods companies, the Closed Loop Infrastructure Group finances scalable circular economy infrastructure and technologies––spanning the value chain from material collection, to processing and remanufacturing.
OUR FUNDS
Closed Loop
Infrastructure FundEstablished in 2014 and funded by the world’s largest retailer, consumer goods companies and corporate foundations, we finance recycling and circular economy infrastructure.
Closed Loop
Beverage FundIn partnership with the American Beverage Association, we seek to improve the collection of the beverage industry’s valuable plastic bottles so they can be made into new bottles.
Closed Loop
Circular Plastics FundWe invest in scalable recycling technologies, equipment upgrades and infrastructure solutions that advance the recovery and recycling of polyethylene and polypropylene plastics in the U.S. and Canada.
Closed Loop
Local Recycling FundIn partnership with PepsiCo Beverages North America, we advance new small-scale, modular recycling systems in communities across the U.S.
OUR CHALLENGE
There is a misalignment between the amount of materials produced today––from packaging to consumer products––and the infrastructure available to recover them, process them after use and return them to manufacturing supply chains. Technological inefficiencies and outdated materials recovery facilities have resulted in bottlenecks across the recycling system. As a result, the current supply of recovered materials falls well short of demand. Meanwhile, consumers and companies are paying to dispose of millions of tons of valuable commodities every year, forever losing the opportunity to reclaim these materials and return them to productive use.
OUR APPROACH
Across multiple funds, the Closed Loop Infrastructure Group provides a flexible mix of financing solutions (such as secured and unsecured loans and mezzanine debt) to support a range of circular economy projects, companies, infrastructure and enabling technologies. By deploying catalytic capital, which seeks to accelerate and de-risk the development of high-impact projects and companies, the Infrastructure Group is uniquely positioned to structure and attract additional forms of traditional financing to bolster infrastructure that supports a circular economy.
Each of the funds in the Infrastructure Group invest alongside one another to bridge existing financing gaps, scale solutions and build on synergies across the funds’ networks to scale circular economy infrastructure across North America. This is further bolstered by the work of our Center for the Circular Economy, ensuring that organizations across our network stay at the forefront of research and development on circular economy innovations.
Our solutions-oriented mindset goes beyond simply providing capital. As a diverse team of waste and recycling industry experts and finance professionals with more than 200 years of combined experience, we add substantial value to our portfolio organizations and investor base as advisors, connectors and enablers. With direct support from our team and borrower support groups, our partners have expanded into new markets, successfully incorporated transformational technologies, worked collaboratively to solve industry challenges, and accessed follow-on capital to continue growing.
By connecting borrowers with our investor network, we amplify the success of the projects, provide opportunities for feedstock and offtake relationships, and give critical market signals for a project’s or technology’s viability.
OUR INVESTMENT CRITERIA
The Closed Loop Infrastructure Group deploys flexible, catalytic capital to finance circular economy infrastructure projects, technologies and companies that meet the following criteria:
- Employing replicable and scalable business models with demonstrable track records, or plans demonstrating strong potential
- Entrepreneurial and effective management teams
- Creating impacts that align with our metrics including increasing materials reuse, reducing the amount of material lost to disposal, and avoiding or reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Providing economic benefits to the communities served
- Operating businesses with an intentional focus on generating impact across these three areas:
- Access – Increasing the collection of materials by expanding current and next-generation material collection systems, including transportation, logistics and recycling sortation technologies and infrastructure.
- Optimization – Upgrading recycling systems to more efficiently aggregate, classify and sort materials, increasing the total amount sent for remanufacturing and extending the useful life of materials.
- Manufacturing – Advancing facilities and equipment that manufacture finished products, packaging or related goods using recycled content, building sustainable end markets for recyclable materials.
Closed Loop Infrastructure Group Team
Ron Gonen
Ron is the Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm comprised of venture capital, growth equity, private equity, catalytic…
Jennifer Louie
Jennifer is responsible for managing Closed Loop Partners’ debt investment funds.
Kristin Taylor
As Director and Origination Lead, Kristin is responsible for lead generation…
Kate Krebs
Kate leads the Closed Loop Beverage Fund’s efforts to leverage infrastructure investments across the country to drive forward a circular system for…
Raymond Hugel
Ray is responsible for supporting the activities of Closed Loop Partners’ private credit funds with a focus…
Brendan Keefe
Brendan works across the firm’s group of private credit and catalytic capital funds, and is involved in all aspects of the deal cycle…