Fight against global warming: how Time for the planet wants to raise a billion euros

"Pissing in the shower will not be enough".

The campaign did not go unnoticed in early January on the billboards of several French cities.

It has cost nothing to its initiator, Time for the planet, which sees much bigger than small everyday actions to fight against global warming.

"One of our shareholders took the initiative to contact JC Decaux who offered us 200,000 euros for advertising", explains Mehdi Coly, CEO of this non-profit company.

An oxymoron that hides a concept that aims to revolutionize the green economy, halfway between charity and investment funds.

The stated objective: to raise 1 billion euros in funds and create 100 companies.

All by 2030.

"We want 1 billion," repeats Mehdi Coly, one of the six co-founders when asked if this sum is a utopia or a serious deadline.

We set this amount to make it clear that we wanted to do something big.

99% of the time, when we talk about the environment, these are very small projects.

The extreme in the face of global warming is to say to yourself that it is over and to go and live in the countryside to grow broccoli.

We want to do something that changes and has an impact.

There is an alignment of values.

Everyone is aware that we are ready to have our butt kicked by nature.

"

Allow innovations to continue

Time for the planet is based on offensive marketing./DR  

The company, whose leaders are based in Lyon, defines itself "between Microsoft and Wikipedia" on inspirations.

The start-up side that sees big for the reference to the IT giant, the community aspect and "open source" for the collaborative encyclopedia.

The latter concept consists of making technological innovations available, through a free license, in order to benefit other companies, in exchange for sharing their own advances.

"When you invest in 100 companies, if you are very good, there are 10 left," assures Mehdi Coly, who has himself created several start-ups.

The other 90 are dead or alive.

With the open source model, we allow innovations to continue.

"

The concept of Time for the planet is based on transparency: the managers are for the moment volunteers and will not be able to receive a salary not exceeding 4 smic until the company has raised 10 million euros in funds (in 2023 theoretically) , no dividend will be paid if global warming is not zero, shares at 1 euro per unit should be able to be sold to the company from 2030, but at the initial purchase price, making any speculation impossible (and any profit).

The shares subscribed are therefore concretely similar to donations which will turn into a “zero interest loan” if the firm reaches the phase of capital reduction.

Time for the planet wants to create profitable businesses in order to finance new ones and create a virtuous circle.

11,600 people have already bought shares for a total of 1.76 million euros raised.

Among the partners, several personalities: the climatologist Jean Jouzel, the president of Olympique Lyonnais Jean-Michel Aulas or the former coach of the France team Raymond Domenech.

A scientific council made up of climate experts

"The project may seem overly ambitious, but if we want to succeed, it is this kind of initiative that must be implemented," explains Jean Jouzel.

The ambition is up to the problem of global warming.

Time for the planet creates a positive image and a dynamic.

The citizens' convention showed that we could do great things collectively.

The first phase seems a success, the next step will be to choose the right projects.

"

READ ALSO>

Climate: 2019, a record year

"Time" is in the middle of it, with the goal of launching its first two or three businesses this year.

To choose the most promising ideas from among 300 files, a committee of 1,000 people from the shareholders is involved in the selection process, with a final decision taken by a scientific council made up of climate experts.

Among the projects likely to see the light of day the fastest, an alternative to cement, "which represents 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions," says Mehdi Coly, or an olivine mine project, "a rock crushed in grains of sand to capture CO2, with a yield of 20 tonnes captured per tonne spent during extraction ”.

Newsletter My Earth

The environment and responsible consumption

Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters

At the same time, the very active “Time” community is working out its weapons to attract businesses and launch out beyond borders. Shareholders tempted to get more involved in the experiment can indeed join planets (regional or thematic working groups) to create comets (actions allowing the development of the company). Terminology in tune with galactic ambitions.