DevPro, in collaboration with CARE Advisory India and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, successfully convened a roundtable discussion on “𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐈𝐅𝐑𝐒 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬”on 05th August bringing together representatives from the business community, the financial sector, the regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to explore how Sri Lankan businesses can strengthen their sustainability readiness, resilience, global competitiveness while unlocking sustainable finance opportunities.
The Roundtable was convened in the backdrop of evolving global regulations, such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which are reshaping international supply chains by raising compliance standards for products entering the European market and requiring businesses to adopt higher environmental standards backed by transparent, accurate, and credible data.
The discussions also emphasized Sri Lanka’s urgent need to unlock sustainable finance mechanisms to address its estimated US$10.85 billion climate funding gap by 2030 and mitigate an annual climate loss impacting ~0.4% of national GDP. Public finance alone cannot bridge this transition gap, making private capital mobilization essential to protect high-exposure economic drivers like Tea and Tourism from physical climate risks, while safeguarding high-pressure export sectors like Apparel against strict international environmental compliance mandates.
The sustainable finance opportunities aligned with Sri Lanka Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0, the Green Finance Taxonomy and the National Climate Finance Strategy were also highlighted in addition to the importance of carbon markets and the need for clearer policy frameworks enabling local entities to transform climate projects into internationally tradable carbon assets and foreign exchange inflows. Industry case studies discussed demonstrated how credible ESG governance directly expands investor confidence and opens access to development capital.
At DevPro, we believe that sustainability is a strategic driver of economic growth, business resilience, and global competitiveness, and we remain committed to supporting businesses in strengthening their sustainability practices, improving reporting, accessing sustainable finance, and embracing decarbonization while contributing to Sri Lanka’s transition towards a resilient, low-carbon economy