DLL and European Investment Bank to plough €370 million into Benelux green finance

DLL and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed new lending agreements that will make available up to €370 million in new lending for SMEs in the Benelux, to support circular economy-related or green projects. The EIB is putting up €60 million in sustainability lending for Belgium and the Netherlands, along with €125 million for initiatives in the Benelux region as a whole. DLL will match-fund both figures for a range of initiatives with a focus on re-use and climate-related financing.

Catherine Meyers, general manager for Benelux at DLL, said: “This funding from the European Investment Bank helps us and our partners to provide our joint customers with suitable lease proposals with an interest benefit that lowers the threshold to invest in used refurbished machines. In this way, we can stimulate the circular economy and create a win-win for all parties involved. One example is our collaboration with Vervaet Rebuild, which for instance offers rebuilt Vervaet slurry injectors and beet harvesters to farmers who don’t want to invest in new equipment but do require a machine that is not inferior to a new machine in terms of quality, reliability and capacity.”

Heddi Khatib, account manager construction, transportation and industrial at DLL, added: “Another good example is crane rental companies in the Netherlands, which not only compose their fleet in terms of tonnage but also in terms of new and used refurbished equipment. They make informed decisions when investing in used mobile cranes, and when a reconditioned used crane can be adjusted according to their needs, it will retain its value.”

“Green business will continue to increase in importance, as shown by recent paradigm shifts in lending, bond issuing and buying,” said EIB vice-president Kris Peeters. “DLL and the EIB are longstanding partners and we hope that this agreement will be seen as a signal that green business makes sense also from a financial point of view.”

The EIB issues long-term loans on behalf of the European Union. The bank is owned directly by the EU member states and is therefore able to make extremely cheap loans available on the capital market.