43. Investing in Nature - A Conversation with Earthly CEO Oliver Bolton

Nature-based solutions (NbS) aren’t a new idea — but they’re rapidly evolving. In our recent podcast episode, we spoke with Oliver Bolton, co-founder of Earthly, to explore where these solutions are headed, what’s working, and why quality and trust have never been more important.

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Earthly is a climate tech company that helps businesses invest in high-quality nature-based solutions — projects that protect, restore, or sustainably manage ecosystems to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. Initially, Earthly focused on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) invest in NbS. Over time, the company has expanded its reach, now partnering with large enterprises to identify and invest in some of the world's most impactful nature-based projects. This evolution reflects a broader trend of integrating NbS into corporate sustainability strategies.

Think of them as part:

• Project broker – connecting companies to vetted nature-based projects around the world.

• Ratings agency – using a rigorous system of 106 indicators to assess the quality of those projects across carbon, biodiversity, and social impact.

• Strategic advisor – helping companies go beyond offsets and embed nature directly into their sustainability strategy.

👤 About Oliver Bolton

Oliver Bolton is an experienced entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Earthly. With over 20 years of experience, he has launched multiple ventures, including Europe's first B Corp-certified health drinks company, Waterbomb, and the UK's leading subscription nutrition brand, Vitl. Oliver's commitment to sustainability has earned him accolades such as the COP27 ClimaTech Prize and the World Economic Forum's NatureTech 2023 award. He also serves on the International Advisory Panel for Biodiversity Credits and advises Stop Ecocide International.

These are the key take aways from the conversation with Olly:

✅ 1. Nature-Based Solutions Are Maturing

Forest restoration, regenerative agriculture, peatland protection, and blue carbon are now widely recognized Nature-Based Solutions. What’s new is the growing clarity around how they fit into the broader climate-biodiversity agenda — and the funding challenges they face.

Olly emphasized a key figure: a $700 billion per year funding gap for nature. That number hasn’t changed much, but the framing has: it’s now widely understood that we won’t reach net zero — or 30x30 targets — without serious investment in ecosystems.

🧭 2. Quality, Trust, and the “Carbon Hangover”

One of the biggest threads in our conversation was the issue of trust in carbon markets. Scandals like the South Pole case have triggered skepticism toward voluntary carbon credits. But instead of walking away, organizations like Earthly are responding by doubling down on quality verification.

Olly shared that Earthly screens projects using 106 indicators across carbon, biodiversity, and community impact. Only 8% of the projects they review make the cut.

This is especially relevant as biodiversity credits gain traction. The voluntary biodiversity credit market is being built with lessons from carbon front and center — namely, the need for strong baselines, transparent monitoring, and global alignment.

🌍 3. A Broader Lens: Regenerative Business, Not Just Offsetting

Businesses committing a portion of profits to nature, embedding restoration into their operations, or funding high-impact non-credit-bearing projects like coral restoration are leading the way.

It’s a shift from “offsetting emissions” to co-creating ecosystems — a subtle but important reframing that echoes trends in regenerative agriculture, supply chain insetting, and corporate accountability.

🚀 4. From Projects to Systems: Funding, Origination, and Impact at Scale

Olly mentioned Earthly’s next step: launching a nature restoration fund in Western Australia, with plans to scale globally. What’s different here is not just the ambition, but the model: working with land custodians, not acquiring land, and creating returns based on ecosystem services (carbon, water, cultural value, etc.).

This suggests a more integrated future for NbS: not just a marketplace, but a funding and origination ecosystem — where quality projects are developed, financed, measured and even co-created and accelerated with long-term impact in mind.

🧠 Key takeaway: We Are Nature

Throughout the conversation, one thread stood out: the reminder that we are not separate from nature. "We are nature," Olly says — a sentiment that’s philosophical, yes, but increasingly practical.

Whether it’s designing better credits, embedding nature into business models, or holding governments accountable for their 30x30 commitments, the key message is this:

🎧 Want to hear more? Listen to the full conversation with Olly Bolton on our podcast — available now wherever you get your podcasts.

Earthly on LinkedIn and Instagram

Check out Olly's YouTube Channel: Wilding Earth

Memorable quotes from the episode by Oliver:

"Our company mission is to protect and restore at least 1 % of the planet by 2030. thats 150 million hectares. The fund, and all our ambitious goals are all critical to scaling up and getting to 30 by 30."

07:36 - “We decided to focus on nature-based solutions because they deliver a third of the climate carbon mitigation that we need and 100% of the biodiversity while supporting the just transition and communities.”

11:11- “We screened 400 nature-based projects last year and only 8% met our minimum standards across those 106 indicators.”

15:46 - “We advise all clients to have a blended portfolio looking at carbon removal, but also avoided emissions to protect some of these amazing biodiverse areas.”

25:19 - “We are nature. Nature is a part of us. And we need it for our survival.”

In this episode we address the following questions:

00:27“Where are you based right now?”

00:42“Is it raining there too or is it nice London weather?”

00:58“So is Earthly as well based in London or are you all over the place?”

01:13“Was there like a little seed moment that eventually led to Earthly?”

02:46“Before you started Earthly, you actually did something totally different. Which was like a drink, right? What was that?”

03:36“So what did you study?”

04:05“So what was it about? Was it a vitamin water, something like that?”

04:34“What happened with it?”

06:00“So what did you take over as a lesson learned or what connects them?”

07:08“When you started Earthly, what was the intention? And where are you standing right now?”

09:05“Was there some totally misconception in the end?”

10:29“Did [the South Pole scandal] affect you and how did you mitigate that?”

12:11“And you don't manage [the projects] yourself. You're more like the broker in between, right?”

13:23“Is that kind of your USP, you would say?”

15:31“What is for you nature-based solutions?”

17:14“If I would be a brewery and say I would like to do more in nature-based solutions, how would you address it?”

18:55“Have you not been affected by all of these trends of like reversing, or more focusing on sustainable profitability?”

21:11“Are you also doing supply chain integration?”

22:29“If you could redesign the carbon market from scratch, what would you remove and what would you change?”

23:34“What would you avoid?”

25:02“Would [‘We are nature’] be that billboard sentence you just said?”

28:39“Can you pinpoint it to one or two things you think like this needs to happen so we can reach our 1% goal?”

29:51“And yourself, like from your side?”

30:54“Is it then a real asset fund? Would you buy the assets?”

31:44“And from whom do you want to raise the funding?”

32:31“How do you keep yourself motivated in all of this?”

34:21“Maybe a podcast soon?”

35:37“Was there a book or a conversation that has changed how you see your role in climate?”

37:01“Was there something totally absurd or funny happening in your journey?”

38:20“If you could spend one silent day anywhere on the planet to recharge, just you and nature, where would you go and why?”

41:36“So I want to finish our podcast... I give you two options and you need to choose one...