A strategy for biodiversity, water and land. Paramount for a sustainable future. Ecosystems that are vital to people and the economy are under severe pressure. These range from overfishing and deforestation to the threat of extinction for many species – which have an impact on food security. By protecting biodiversity, you can, as a business, contribute to a healthy and resilient ecosystem. With a focused approach, you don’t just have ambition, you turn that into concrete action that delivers results. That is what making an impact is all about.
Why focus on biodiversity, water and land?
These are the four pillars for our environment: climate, biodiversity, water and land. These four pillars are inextricably linked. Current efforts to make companies more sustainable focus mainly on the first pillar: reducing emissions into the atmosphere. This is, of course, an important aspect of reducing air pollution and the impact of greenhouse gases on the climate. But reducing the number of pollutants emitted alone will not get us where we need to be. Focusing on this pillar alone will lead to neglect of the other three – making for an incomplete strategy.
There is a growing recognition that biodiversity, water and land are also critical components of a complete sustainability strategy. After all, the business sector also has an impact on these components, so it is important that companies not only focus on the climate pillar, but also include the other three components in their sustainability strategy.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the diversity of life on earth, such as plants, animals and micro-organisms. Companies that are committed to biodiversity contribute to maintaining healthy ecosystems. These ensure clean air, fertile soil and climate regulation. Many businesses depend on these natural services, often without realising it. As a result, more and more companies are recognising the importance of understanding their impact on, as well as their dependence on, nature. They are taking steps to make their supply chains more resilient and stronger against physical risks such as climate change and extreme weather.
Water
Sustainable water management is an important aspect of making businesses more sustainable. It is not only about the amount of water a company uses, but also about the quality of the water that is discharged. Water is a precious resource, but it is often wasted and polluted unnecessarily – with harmful effects on nature. More and more companies are taking steps to minimise water consumption and pollution. For example, by using wastewater treatment technologies, adopting water conservation methods, reusing water and setting up employee awareness programmes.
Land
Sustainable use of land and responsible stewardship are also essential to business sustainability. Detrimental land use can lead to erosion, deforestation and loss of fertile land, with long-term negative impacts on both the environment and business operations. A growing number of companies are actively contributing to sustainable land use practices by implementing methods such as agroforestry (combining agriculture and forestry), soil management techniques and reducing the use of harmful chemicals. In doing so, they not only reduce their environmental impact, but also bolster the resilience and sustainability of land.
Contribute to a sustainable future
Drawing up a complete strategy that combines all four pillars into a plan is not easy. We often see that there is no shortage of ambition – but how to go about it raises questions. How do you tackle it? Where should you start? How do you get stakeholders on board? – And then there are the challenges that come with that. We support businesses and organisations. Together, we develop a climate-focused strategy.
Framework
Fortunately, there are already a number of frameworks that can help in the development of an overall strategy. For example, there is the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) initiative, which, as a counterpart to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), addresses its shortcomings in the areas of biodiversity, water and land.
We have developed a practical step-by-step planbased on this SBTN framework. This method can also be used to adopt the TNFD LEAP approach or other frameworks. This is how we help companies and organisations to identify their impact and dependence on nature.
Analysis
The first step we take in reducing the environmental impact of business operations is to conduct a thorough area and risk analysis. This involves identifying the specific locations where business activities take place, in terms of direct operations as well as upstream and downstream activities in the supply chain. We then identify the dependency and impact on the state of nature at these locations.
This is followed by a materiality analysis: we collect all available data on the impact of business activities on nature. Based on this information, we then determine where targets need to be set and where action needs to be taken to reduce negative impacts.
Action plan
This leads us to the next crucial phase. We will formulate a well-defined sustainability strategy, which includes concrete goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). We then translate this strategy into a clear action plan with timelines, tasks, responsibilities and the necessary resources. This ensures that we not only set our sustainability goals, but also achieve them, helping to fight climate change and protect our planet.
From ambition to action!
Get started
Environment: one issue, three topics
Climate
Urgent topic that deserves the attention of every company. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, you contribute to combating climate change.
Circularity
A key pillar of an efficient sustainability strategy. By fostering the circular economy, you can optimise your company’s use of raw materials.
Biodiversity & water
Of paramount importance for a sustainable future. By protecting biodiversity, your business can contribute to a healthy and resilient ecosystem.