Our economic system is broken. It grows for growth's sake, regardless of whether that growth makes us happier or destroys the living world. Hans Stegeman, Chief Economist at Triodos Bank, has spent years exploring how to build an economy that sustains life instead of cannibalizing it. Stegeman challenges the assumption that we can solve climate and environmental crises within our current system. There is no scientific evidence that green growth works. In this ELP Leadership Dialogue, we explore the structures that lock us into endless expansion, the reductionist thinking that blinds us to interconnection, and what it takes for leaders to question the very foundations they operate within.
Hans Stegeman is Chief Economist at Triodos Bank. He writes columns for Vrij Nederland, articles for NRC and Het Financieele Dagblad and publishes on Substack about post-growth economics and systems change. His doctoral thesis, Transforming Economics for Sustainability, was completed at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2025. His new book will be published in October 2026.
Join us for an evening of rigorous dialogue with peers who are asking these questions in their own organizations and sectors.