With population growth and urbanisation trends, the need for housing is growing globally, with an increase of 19% in the Sri Lankan stock between 2001 and 2012. This growth in demand creates commensurate effects on material usage, energy and water consumption, waste, and carbon emissions, revealing a massive need for capital to be deployed toward green building finance.

This report was developed as a resource to inform and support Sri Lanka’s banking sector on possible approaches to green finance product development, including how modest adjustments to lending practices can result in more credit flows to green buildings. The several chapters of the finance guide provide information on:

• general green building design principles and technologies;
• the state of green construction practices and beliefs in Sri Lanka;
• the barriers and benefits of green buildings;
• the need for and information gaps in Sri Lanka;
• strategies for integrating green finance practices; and
• recommendations for new green building product.