This month, Planet Ark’s Australian Circular Economy Hub and the Diplomatic Missions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Australia co-hosted a leaders roundtable event on green finance and investments.

The event brought together representatives from Australian and Netherlands banks, investment funds and the private sector for a roundtable discussion moderated by Margreet Rog-Stokkink, Head of Wholesale Banking at ING Australia.

The ACE Hub and Netherlands representatives were joined by Steven Maijoor, Executive Director Supervision of the Dutch Central Bank, Hans op 't Veld, Global Head of Responsible Investments of pension fund PGGM, Piet Sprengers, Manager of Sustainability Strategy at ASN Bank and Adrian King, partner of KPMG Australia.

The group discussed the enabling role the financial sector can play in the transition to a net zero, circular economy, key questions discussed were:

• What is the role and responsibility of financial sector in a decarbonising society?

• How can the financial sector play a greater role in the change to net zero?

• And, how does a greater focus on a positive screening of investments contribute to these goals?

The Netherlands is a world leader in circular economy and has legislated targets of 50 per cent less raw material use by 2030 and achieving full circularity by 2050. The ACE Hub has teamed up with the Netherlands to leverage its experience in the circular economy and help build a network of global green finance professionals. The roundtable discussion represents the first stage of this process, with follow-up events planned for the coming year.