Corporate Nature Action

Overview

Corporate nature action refers to the steps companies take to understand, reduce, and reverse their negative impacts on nature while creating positive outcomes. Like climate action, it's evolving from voluntary to mandatory, with leading companies making ambitious nature commitments.

Why Corporate Nature Action Matters

Business Case

• Risk mitigation: Physical, regulatory, reputational risks
• Opportunity: Growing nature-positive market
• Value creation: Natural capital preservation
• Stakeholder expectations: Investors, consumers, employees

External Drivers

• Regulation: EU Biodiversity Strategy, TNFD
• Investors: PRI, institutional ESG
• Customers: Sustainable procurement
• Employees: Purpose-driven work

Components of Nature Strategy

1. Assessment

Understanding your relationship with nature:

• Dependency mapping: Ecosystem services used
• Impact measurement: How you affect nature
• Materiality: Priority issues
• Baseline: Current state

2. Target Setting

Defining what you want to achieve:

• Science-based targets: Aligned with planetary boundaries
• No net loss: Offset residual impacts
• Net positive: Go beyond neutral
• Restoration: Active ecosystem repair

3. Action

Implementing changes:

• Operations: Reduce footprints
• Supply chain: Sustainable sourcing
• Products: Nature-positive offerings
• Investments: Nature-based solutions

4. Reporting

Disclosing progress:

• TNFD-aligned: LEAP framework
• GRI: Biodiversity reporting
• CDP: Forests, water questionnaires
• Annual reports: Integrated reporting

Target-Setting Frameworks

Science Based Targets Network (SBTN)

Process for corporate targets:

1. Assess: Materiality analysis
2. Interpret: Prioritize issues
3. Set: Define science-based targets
4. Act: Implementation
5. Track: Monitoring and reporting

Types of Targets

• Land: No conversion, restoration
• Water: Quality and quantity
• Oceans: Coastal and marine
• Species: Population health

Examples

Danone: Regenerative agriculture across supply chain

Nestlé: Deforestation-free supply chain, reforestation

Unilever: Land use positive, water stewardship

Action Areas

Operations

• Site management: Habitat creation, green spaces
• Facilities: Biodiversity-friendly design
• Energy: Renewable + nature-positive
• Water: Stewardship, reuse

Supply Chain

• Sustainable sourcing: Certified commodities
• Deforestation-free: Forest-risk commodities
• Supplier engagement: Capacity building
• Traceability: Origin mapping

Products

• Sustainable design: Lower footprint
• Circularity: Regenerative materials
• Life cycle: End-of-life considerations
• Innovation: Nature-positive solutions

Investment

• Nature-based solutions: Direct investment
• Restoration: Reforestation, wetland
• Conservation: Protected areas
• Innovation: Technology development

Leading Companies

Nature-Positive Commitments

L'Oréal: Net-zero emissions, water loop, biodiversity

Kering: Environmental Profit & Loss, nature-positive

Interface: Climate Take Back, biodiversity positive

Patagonia: 1% for the Planet,再生 program

Industry Initiatives

Valuing Nature: Natural capital business coalition

Business for Innovative Climate Policy: Advocacy

Biodiversity in Good Company: German corporate initiative

Practical Guidance

Getting Started

1. Commit: Public nature commitment
2. Assess: Materiality and baseline
3. Set targets: Science-based
4. Act: Implement changes
5. Report: Disclose progress

Tools

• TNFD LEAP: Assessment framework
• ENCORE: Dependency mapping
• SBTN: Target-setting
• Natural Capital Protocol: Valuation

Key Takeaways

• Nature action is increasingly essential
• Growing regulatory and market requirements
• Science-based targets provide credibility
• Supply chain is major opportunity/risk
• Integration with climate strategy needed
• Transparency builds stakeholder trust
• Nature-positive is the direction of travel

References

• TNFD · SBTN · IPBES · CBD — nature and biodiversity frameworks