{"id":10009,"date":"2024-07-06T21:45:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-06T18:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2024-07-06T21:45:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-06T18:45:24","slug":"how-businesses-can-drive-a-nature-positive-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/how-businesses-can-drive-a-nature-positive-future","title":{"rendered":"How businesses can drive a nature-positive future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Business leaders must scale up action to fast-track the transition towards a nature-positive future, unlocking new opportunities for organisations and making them more resilient.<\/p>\n

Recent guidance outlines the priority actions for specific sectors, including household and personal care products, cement and concrete, and chemicals.<\/p>\n

Many companies are already working to protect biodiversity, but these specific sector-level actions could help businesses contribute to the collective goal of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Building a ‘nature-positive’ world means shifting how nature is viewed, replacing the old mantra of simply minimizing negative impacts with a new approach that restores<\/a>, protects and values nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The concept of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 is the mission at the heart of the\u00a0Biodiversity Plan<\/a>\u00a0or Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Adopted during\u00a0COP15<\/a>, this plan to see the world \u201cliving in harmony with nature by 2050\u201d includes four goals and\u00a023 targets<\/a>.\u00a0Target 15<\/a>\u00a0explicitly highlights the need for mandatory assessment and disclosure by businesses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The theme for the UN’s 2024 International Day for Biological<\/a> Diversity on May 22 is “Be part of the Plan. This is a call<\/a> to action for all stakeholders \u2013 including businesses \u2013 to support the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. This means focusing on how corporate leaders can transform their businesses to help secure a nature-positive world.<\/p>\n

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Nature underpins our global<\/a> economy. Over half of the world’s GDP\u2014$44 trillion\u2014is moderately or highly dependent on nature through the use of water<\/a>, minerals, and climate regulation, for example. The World Economic Forum’s\u00a0Global Risks Report 2024<\/a>\u00a0signals that environmental risks make up half of the top 10 risks over the next 10 years and ranks biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse together as the third biggest global risk for humanity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Our research shows that investing in a nature-positive economy could also unlock\u00a0$10.1 trillion of business opportunities<\/a>\u00a0annually and create 395 million jobs by 2030 through, for example, the use of regenerative agriculture, sustainable forest management, and the development of more transparent supply chains. This would help transform the three economic systems responsible for almost 80% of nature loss: food, infrastructure, and energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To help businesses contribute to a nature-positive trajectory, the World Economic Forum, with support from consultancy Oliver Wyman, has developed three sector-specific reports focusing on\u00a0household and personal care products<\/a>,\u00a0cement and concrete<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0chemicals<\/a>. These reports are part of a series on\u00a0Sector Actions<\/a>\u00a0in collaboration with Business for Nature and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The series explains how 12 different global sectors can benefit nature and biodiversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1. Household and personal care products
\n<\/strong>Household and personal care products improve our well-being and living standards. The sector also generates approximately\u00a0$700 billion in annual revenues<\/a>, according to research by consultancy Oliver Wyman. But this can come at the expense of nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These businesses use significant amounts of water<\/a> and other natural resources, cause land use change, pollution (especially plastics pollution) and greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To reduce their impact on nature<\/a>, companies in the household and personal care sector must:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • improve water stewardship;<\/li>\n
  • source raw materials and feedstocks responsibly;<\/li>\n
  • influence customer behaviour on product use and disposal;<\/li>\n
  • support nature conservation<\/a> and restoration;<\/li>\n
  • expand circularity practices, innovation and collaboration<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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    By encouraging companies to adopt strategies like selling products in reusable packaging<\/a>, for example, these five priority actions could help the household and personal care sector unlock $62 billion per year of additional value by 2030.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n