In 2022, biodiversity was put high on the political agenda. World leaders and the private sector came together at COP15, the United Nations’ biennial biodiversity congress. Here, they took steps to assess the extent and rate of biodiversity loss. Now it is time for the next step: implementation and action. Waiting longer will cause irreparable damage. To preserve biodiversity, knowledge and promises must be accelerated into policy and market-driven change.
Concrete policy measures will be discussed at COP16 in late 2024, but many companies are already offering solutions to make supply chains more resilient and sustainable. BNP Paribas foresees a rapid increase in biodiversity impact investments. Especially ‘enablers’, companies that offer solutions to reduce the impact of harmful industries on nature, are in the spotlight. Examples include precision fermentation, which replaces animal products with animal-friendly alternatives. For instance, vegan chicken egg whites are already being produced for commercial purposes, and an alternative for leather has been developed. Enablers also offer outcomes for horticulture, such as vertical farming and RNA biopesticides. They eliminate the need for large-scale use of soil-polluting chemical pesticides in horticulture, preserving important organisms like bees and soil microbes.
But the strongest business cases so far are from enablers with circular economy solutions. A well-known example is Fairphone, a sustainably produced modular smartphone that puts people and planet first. If damaged, the modular design allows the screen or other electrical parts to be replaced quickly and at low cost. At the end of its life, Fairphone has a recycling programme to give your old phone a new life. Companies like Fairphone that integrate circularity into their supply chain are well positioned to exploit commercial opportunities and reduce supply chain risks through dependence on raw materials. For instance, green energy for the reuse of materials is an important pivot between the Energy and Industry sectors. This is a connection that is necessary to now truly approach climate warming and biodiversity loss as the other side of the same coin.
Policy and innovation
This year saw several international meetings where policies for the most vulnerable areas took shape. These included the UN Convention on the High Seas, the International Forum on Forests and the World Biodiversity Summit in New York, where international cooperation agreements were reached to effectively address issues that transcend national borders. In addition, the Global Biodiversity Framework forces governments to review their biodiversity strategy and action plans even before COP16. An important step was also taken in the area of financial reporting with the launch of a framework for measuring nature-related risks. The integration of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures framework into corporate reporting is expected to boost investment in sustainable growth. During Climate Week NYC 2023, BNP Paribas announced a donation to IUCN to support their work. IUCN analyses and addresses the five main types of pressures on nature that affect biodiversity: changes in land and sea water use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive species.
Besides biodiversity loss, the increasing shortage of drinking water also poses a direct threat to global food supplies. Adaptations to climate change to mitigate these risks are becoming increasingly urgent and investments in innovative water management, such as wastewater recycling, need to be scaled up. The need to reuse water is increasing under pressure from stricter regulations. Enablers operating in this field are seeing an explosion in demand for their solutions, offering an opportunity to invest in responsible economic growth.
An intertwined future
The future of biodiversity and water management are closely intertwined. Biodiversity plays a crucial role in regulating the water cycle. The challenges of the 21st century require joint efforts and investments in both conservation and smart water management. A good example is Ahold Delhaize’s targets for reducing food waste in its own operations. Already since 2016, as the initiator of the 10x20x30 Food Loss and Waste Initiative, Ahold-Delhaize has reduced food waste by 33%. In doing so, it has committed to a series of ambitious sustainability performance targets.
Rado Georgiev, strategic sustainability advisor at BNP Paribas Netherlands: “in recent years, we have witnessed floods, landslides, storms and droughts, which are more frequent and severe due to climate change. But water resources are also being affected. This puts basic needs and the humanitarian right to clean drinking water and sanitation under pressure. In the Netherlands too, and even in the most optimistic scenario, summers will become drier and winters wetter due to climate change, according to the new KNMI climate scenarios. These developments require water-intensive industries, such as utilities, chemicals and technology, to adapt. They need to start applying water management strategies and incorporate circularity and preferably nature-based solutions in their climate change plans.”
Amsterdam, 5 March 2020 – With the arrival of Guido van den Brande and Peter Toutenhoofd, the Corporate & Institutional Banking team of BNP Paribas the Netherlands has been further strengthened. Guido van den Brande will become Co-Head Corporate Client Group the Netherlands on the first of April and Peter Toutenhoofd started as Head of Advisory the Netherlands on February the first.
Geert Lippens, CEO BNP Paribas the Netherlands: “Guido and Peter bring a lot of experience, a large network and will strengthen our offering as a major European player with a global platform. This will enable BNP Paribas to serve our clients on increasingly complex issues. In Europe, we have a leading position as a Corporate & Institutional Bank. We now want to actively expand this position. In addition to traditional Corporate Banking, where we are very strong in areas such as Financing, Trade Finance and Cash Management, our objective is to work more often with our clients on the strategic issues surrounding their business. I am looking forward to working with Guido and Peter to take advantage of the growth opportunities that the Dutch market offers.”
Guido van den Brande previously worked as Head of Corporate Clients RBS and in recent years as Managing Director Head of Coverage at HSBC. Peter Toutenhoofd comes over from Rabobank where he was Managing Director within the M&A team for the past 6 years. Both have over 25 years of Investment Banking and Corporate Finance experience.
Peter Toutenhoofd, Head of Advisory Nederland:“BNP Paribas occupies a special position in the Dutch market, with its Dutch roots dating back to 1863. Unlocking BNP Paribas’ global knowledge, expertise and opportunities for our Dutch clients is a challenge that I am happy to take up.”
Guido will lead the Corporate Client Group together with Matijn van Went as Co-Head. Matijn will focus specifically on Flow Banking, while Guido will focus on Strategic Dialogue.
Guido van den Brande, Co-Head Corporate Client Group Nederland: “I am happy to seize the opportunity with Matijn and our clients to realise the specific solutions for the complex assignments our clients are facing. With BNP Paribas’s strength, ambition and quality, we are well positioned to find those solutions and expand our market share in the Netherlands.”
BNP Paribas appoints Geert Lippens as CEO & Country Head for The Netherlands, based in Amsterdam. Geert will oversee all Dutch Group entities of BNP Paribas The Netherlands, among which Corporate & Institutional Banking, Asset Management, Arval (car leasing), Leasing Solutions, Personal Finance (consumer credit), Factor (factoring), Cardif (insurances) and Real Estate (real estate advisory). On top of his Country Head role, Geert will be heading the BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Banking team. Geert succeeds Daniel Thielemans, who held the position of CEO & Country Head for the Netherlands since 2016.
Geert has over 25 years banking experience in Corporate & Institutional Banking. Over the past few years Geert held the position of Head Leveraged Debt Platform and Energy, Resources & Infrastructure Finance EMEA at BNP Paribas in Paris. Previously he worked in various management roles internationally within BNP Paribas and Fortis.
Yannick Jung, Head of Global Banking EMEA: “With a presence in the Netherlands for 150 years, BNP Paribas has a long standing commitment to the Dutch market, which is of strategic importance to us. We are determined to further support the Dutch corporate and institutional clients in their local and international activities. We are delighted to appoint Geert. His experience working in various positions in Corporate and Institutional Banking across multiple continents will be a fantastic asset to our clients and for accelerating our local development. I would like to thank Daniel for his contribution to BNP Paribas and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.””
Geert Lippens : ‘I am looking forward to guide our Dutch clients in their international growth and to further develop the solid and diverse activity platform of the Bank in The Netherlands. The Dutch team is strong and I am confident that we will be able to continue our growth in the coming years.’