Addressing the crisis in the natural world requires an estimated $1.2 trillion in annual private sector investment. Institutions that act next can gain business advantages.
The planet’s ecological biodiversity provides vital services, including climate regulation, water storage and filtration, and air purification. And what is the estimated value of those resources? In excess of $150 trillion annually. Yet, human activity continues to endanger the natural world. We are in the midst of Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, with one-fifth of the world’s countries now at risk of ecosystem collapse. Forward-looking companies understand that there is a compelling business case for building a nature-positive operation, finding synergies between climate efforts, and reducing the environmental impact of business.
Our Approach to Nature-Positive Strategy and Nature-Based Solutions
Nature and climate are inextricably linked; loss of ecological biodiversity exacerbates climate change. And nature-based solutions will play a critical role in capturing and reducing atmospheric carbon and enhancing adaptation and resilience. BCG helps companies understand the environmental impact of business and build comprehensive environmental strategies that align business priorities with
planetary boundaries. This includes designing a holistic nature-positive strategy that addresses businesses’ contribution to deforestation, plastic pollution, and more:
Define the Nature-Positive Strategy and Ambition. We help companies assess their footprint when it comes to impacts on nature, set targets, and build a roadmap to integrate nature activities with their climate plans.
Make the Core Sustainable. We work with companies to build nature-positive supply chains and sustainable operations and, when possible, deploy nature-based solutions for biodiversity restoration and the regeneration of natural ecosystems.
Driving New Sustainable Growth. A nature-positive strategy is not only a means to reduce risk but also a way to build new businesses. We help clients seize those opportunities, including via new green ventures and deep tech. We also work with them to adopt new sustainable business models, including circularity, to produce more with fewer natural resources.
Enabling the Transformation. We work with companies to build the foundation for a successful nature-positive transformation, including creating the right operating model, governance, data strategy, and capabilities.
Our Clients’ Success in Nature-Based Solutions
We worked with a global pharmaceutical company to develop a comprehensive nature-positive strategy that goes beyond decarbonization, helping the client conduct an end-to-end assessment of the value chain, identifying the impacts on ecological biodiversity, and leveraging synergies between climate and nature efforts.
We worked with two partner organizations to build out a dashboard that allows companies to assess their impact throughout the full water cycle, including rivers and oceans, and helped develop a nature-positive strategy and framework that identifies the most impactful issues by industry to enable companies to measure and take action on the most material issues.
Our Nature-Positive Partnerships
WWF. BCG launched a
global partnership with WWF in 2012, working with the organization on numerous projects—globally, regionally, and locally. We worked closely with WWF in the lead-up to COP15 to advocate for an ambitious global agreement on nature. Our work supports WWF’s mission to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.
Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN). BCG has partnered with SBTN to support the organization’s efforts to develop science-based targets for nature. Our support includes establishing governance and processes to ensure effective work with multiple stakeholders.
Our Insights into Nature-Based Solutions
The Case for Nature-Based Solutions
BCG's Dean Muruven and the World Wide Fund for Nature's Stuart Orr discuss what nature-based solutions are and why they're critical to any company's climate and sustainability strategy.
BCG's Dean Muruven and the World Wide Fund for Nature's Stuart Orr discuss what nature-based solutions are and why they're critical to any company's climate and sustainability strategy.
Video
May 9, 2024
A Partnership Approach to Restoring Landscapes
Zach Knight of Blue Forest discusses how his nonprofit partners with public and private sector organizations to help finance conservation projects and other nature-based solutions.
Article
November 15, 2023
Companies will soon need to comprehensively report on their impact and dependence on nature.
Article
November 7, 2023
New research shows that transitioning to an energy system powered by renewables would be far better for the planet than business as usual.
Press Release
September 15, 2022
Quantis to Join BCG to Accelerate Sustainable Transformation
BCG recently acquired Quantis, a pioneering environmental sustainability consultancy, to help strengthen its climate change and sustainability expertise and transformation capabilities.
Meet Our Nature-Based Solutions Consulting Team
BCG’s nature-based solutions consulting team has deep expertise in biodiversity restoration, ecological biodiversity, and nature-positive strategy design. Here are some of our experts in nature-based solutions.
