CASE STUDY 4 ABN AMRO In its recently published Nature Statement, ABN AMRO committed to “using and expanding its influence… to reduce negative impact and enhance positive impact on nature in order to play its role in halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030”. To achieve this, ABN AMRO will engage with and incentivize its clients to address their negative impact on nature, such as by halting deforestation in value chains or adopting circular practices. ABN AMRO identified two key sectors for initial priority focus in its lending activities: the built environment (corporate lending, mortgages) and agriculture. The built environment focus is based on ABN AMRO’s relatively large exposure. The agriculture focus is based on the sector’s relatively high impact on nature compared to other sectors in ABN AMRO’s portfolio (contributing 26% of ABN AMRO’s biodiversity impact). ABN AMRO selected nature-related metrics for dairy and arable farming within the agriculture sector, and works to create incentives farmers to improve impacts from their farming practices on nature (beyond existing incentives such as repayment pauses). A materiality assessment will direct ABN AMRO to identify additional focus sectors in the coming years. Nature is a central part of the assessments ABN AMRO conducts to evaluate the sustainability performance of corporate clients with over 1 million euros in lending. Clients are reviewed periodically or during onboarding. The assessment questions used are based on the 10 Generic Principles of ABN AMRO, which include the following applicable principles: –Clients are aware of their impact on biodiversity, water, air and soil, and take appropriate measures to prevent biodiversity loss and pollution. –Clients are aware of how their business model depends on ecosystem services (e.g. resources, pollination) and take measures to preserve these services. –Clients take measures to promote circularity and reduce the use of virgin material and waste (e.g. through design, recycling, lifetime extension) if applicable. The outcome of this sustainability assessment serves as the basis for further engagement and strategic discussion, depending on the client’s level of compliance. A dedicated team conducts additional validation – covering the sustainability assessment outcome, the 10 Generic Principles, the “exclusion list” and the fulfilment of specific requirements, (e.g. zero deforestation in sensitive ecosystems in the client’s supply chain) – for lending clients with high sustainability risk. This validation can, for example, lead to extra monitoring, specified conditions and/or client engagement, and influence the onboarding decision. Sector-specific guidance for banking teams as well as upskilling for employees working specifically with clients in key sectors impacting biodiversity aim to improve the sustainability assessment process and enhance client dialogues. Source: ABN AMRO. Sector-specific considerations: While priority actions will vary by company across sectors and even within a sector (given differing business models and operational footprints), they can broadly be identified at a sectoral level. For example, mining companies have a material impact and dependency on water and would be expected to avoid and reduce water abstraction in operations and instead focus on good water stewardship.76 Priority actions for the chemicals sector include focusing on improving water stewardship, expanding circularity and reducing GHG through (for example) bio-based feedstocks, in line with the top drivers of nature loss in that sector: water use, pollution and GHG.77 The Sector Actions report series, published by the World Economic Forum, WBCSD and Business for Nature, delineates priority actions for each sector that companies can use to start unlocking opportunities across operations and value chains and reduce impact on nature. Figure 9 summarizes priority actions for sectors from across 16 reports published to date. These actions have been identified through research and inputs from experts across each sector.financial institutions can use to assess companies’ strategies and actions on nature. For example, several mining companies are improving traceability across the value chain to better track and communicate information about the components of products and materials throughout the production process, promoting the adoption of good practices.70 This includes Teck Resources’ digital product passport pilot with germanium,71 Rio Tinto’s START sustainability label72 for aluminium or De Beers Group’s Tracr diamond blockchain solution.73 Additionally, chemicals companies are increasingly shifting towards alternative feedstocks, such as in bio-based fuels.74 In the automotive sector, many companies, including Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Stellantis and tire companies such as Michelin, are working towards reducing resource use by incorporating reused, repaired, recycled and renewable materials into new models or fleets by 2030.75 Financial institutions can further engage with clients and portfolio companies to understand the actions they have committed to. 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Nature Positive Corporate Assessment Guide for Financial Institutions 2025