Natural capital

To what extent does Van Lanschot Kempen add natural value to the world? And which stakeholders are involved? The contribution of Van Lanschot Kempen to natural value creation for this stakeholder group is explained below: society.

Value creation

We define natural capital as all renewable and non-renewable natural resources and processes, which provide goods or services that generate past, present or future wealth. Examples of natural capital are air, biodiversity, ecosystems, water, wood etc.

The natural capital flow is part of our value creation process, shown here schematically:

Value creation process Van Lanschot Kempen - natural capital

See the detailed value creation model for an explanation.


Given the size of our assets under management, we have the greatest impact on natural capital through the way it is invested. This impact can be positive, for example if it leads to the protection of a natural area, but also negative, for example if it emits a lot of greenhouse gases. The impact on the natural world through greenhouse gas emissions via our leased cars and buildings are our direct responsibility. This responsibility is already less clear when we focus on the impact through our issued mortgages and managed assets.

Quantification example: CO2 emissions through our mortgages

By providing mortgages, we indirectly contribute to the CO2 emissions of homeowners. Using public energy consumption data for homes, the CO2 emissions for our total mortgage portfolio were determined. These emissions were then monetised using the 'avoidance price'. This price (€ 150) reflects the amount needed to reduce one tonne of CO2 to zero (in line with the Paris climate agreement).

Read more

For more information on natural capital, please see our 2020 Annual Report, pages 33-36.

Go to the Annual Report 2020 (Natural capital)