Welcome to the Summer 2022 issue of amane currents! This is a special issue for us because it’s the first one to be published following the announcement of our merger with A. Vaccani & Partner AG (AVP) and the expansion of Amane’s focus to cover the wider circular economy.

We are all extremely excited about the benefits of combining AVP’s expertise and network with Amane’s own unique capabilities and network in the very complementary sectors of water, resource recovery and energy recovery. This has enabled us to broaden our advisory offerings across the areas that will be absolutely critical in developing a sustainable global economy and to deepen our ability to serve the companies, investors and governmental agencies who are driving the sustainability agenda.

In this issue we will introduce Amedeo Vaccani and Suejean Asato, the key figures who over the last 30 years have built AVP into a leading advisor for players in resource and energy recovery and the circular economy. And jumping right into this new field, Suejean has also joined forces with Mathieu de Kervenoael and Alec Freedman to give us an article that highlights two cases where new applications in the circular economy are already disrupting the value chain of economic sectors like resource recovery or regeneration.

Looking at the developing world, Ida Johansson describes the important role that development finance institutions (DFI) can play in attracting private finance and overcoming the barriers faced by drinking water access projects in peri-urban and rural areas. In the first article of a series, Laura Chamberlain also brings us up to date on the status of new tighter regulations and enforcement plans for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water in the U.S., where the legacy of these “forever chemicals” will significantly impact municipalities, utilities and funding priorities for years to come.

As part of Amane’s ongoing commitment to supporting healthy oceans and the development of the Blue Economy, I report on some of the outcomes from the recent United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), and describe some of the ways in which we in the water and resource recovery industries are ideally positioned to make real contributions in addressing the threats posed to ocean health by marine pollution, including litter and plastics, from marine or land-based sources.

As always, we like to bring you insights from some of the sharpest minds in the industry, so we asked three leaders from the water-focused venture capital community to share their thoughts about what they see as the most exciting technology development(s) in the water/wastewater sectors. We hope you find their answers to be as interesting as we did!

Finally, Natalie Peña takes us back to some of the great moments from our fourth Amane Advisors company retreat, which was held in June on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. This retreat was an extra special one because our last gathering was held just before the COVID pandemic hit and travel had been restricted ever since. After nearly two and a half years of not seeing each other as a full team, there was a real excitement to gather everyone in the same room and to meet face-to-face to chart the firm’s future course together.

We wish you lots of fun and interesting reading and, as always, we welcome your ideas, input and feedback!

Sincerely,

Bill Malarkey