The Nature Brief for Business.

The Big Picture

Corporate disclosure is climbing as major frameworks draw broader engagement, though top performance remains rare. Nature-related finance is expanding, with pension funds and biodiversity bonds mobilising capital, and tech-led innovation is reshaping how businesses monitor and manage environmental impacts. Companies are increasingly integrating nature into net zero strategies, though questions around ecological integrity persist.

Key movements this week:

• Biodiversity credit pilots are expanding globally, with some emphasising Indigenous data rights.
• Nature tech investment is accelerating, with new tools launched for businesses.
• Nature-based solutions are under scrutiny to ensure true ecological benefits.

Market Essentials

Reporting: Corporate disclosure advances but scrutiny persists.

• CDP reports a 30% jump in companies achieving top environmental disclosures. Over 22,700 companies disclosed through CDP in 2024, though only 2% achieved an “A” score, underscoring that top-level performance remains elusive despite rising participation.
• Seven NGOs formally challenge EU omnibus proposal to relax sustainability disclosures, signaling demand for robust reporting. Their complaint highlights concerns that watering down requirements could undermine progress on biodiversity and climate transparency.
• EU simplifies EUDR compliance and cuts costs by 30%, easing due diligence for companies but raising concerns for smallholder farmers. The move is intended to support businesses but has sparked fears that marginalised groups may bear unintended consequences.

Finance: Biodiversity finance gains momentum despite complexity.

• New York State Pension Fund commits $2.4 billion to climate investment strategies. As the fourth-largest U.S. public pension plan, its move signals strong institutional appetite for sustainable investments.
• Banco Davivienda and BBVA Colombia plan $94 million biodiversity bond issuances. The bonds are designed to mobilise private finance for conservation efforts and biodiversity-friendly projects.
• WEF has developed indicators for finance to assess corporates on nature. In collaboration with Oliver Wyman, WEF has released a guide outlining 11 indicators that help financial institutions integrate nature into assessments, identify opportunities and risks, and support global goals to halt nature loss by 2030.

Targets: Companies ramp up emissions cuts and face rising scrutiny.

• Apple slashes product manufacturing emissions by nearly half since 2020 and achieves over 60% value chain emissions cuts since 2015. The tech giant demonstrates leadership in Scope 3 emissions management, an area often challenging for corporations.
• NYC Pension Funds demand strong net zero action plans from asset managers or risk replacement. The mandate emphasizes that asset managers must push portfolio companies to set full value chain emission reduction targets.
• Major meat producer JBS faces criticism for likely missing its Amazon deforestation pledge. The report reveals persistent difficulties with enforcing traceability and supplier compliance within complex global supply chains.

Trend Watch.

Biodiversity Credits: New pilots and Indigenous data leadership.

• Biodiversity framework pilot market launched in Cote d’Ivoire, with France initiative coming next. These initiatives aim to build credibility and practical frameworks for scaling up nature markets across diverse regions.
• Three new biodiversity credit pilots join the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) community, spanning Italy, England, and Brazil. They offer critical real-world lessons to shape evolving global biodiversity credit standards.
• Brazilian Indigenous group advocates for Indigenous data integration into biodiversity markets. Their leadership emphasizes that Indigenous stewardship and knowledge must be foundational to any emerging biodiversity credit systems.

Nature Tech: Increasing funding and adoption of tools for scaling nature-positive action.

• NatureTech Solutions Finder, an AI-powered interactive database, launches to support business solutions in collaboration with WildSight! The open-source platform allows users to identify cutting-edge technologies to meet specific nature-related challenges.
• $25 million in new nature tech deals closed: BioLumic ($8.3M), Eratani ($6.2M), and Smush Materials ($1.12M). Investor confidence is growing in startups focused on agricultural resilience, biodiversity monitoring, and sustainable materials.
• Indonesia deploys new forest monitoring tool to meet EUDR compliance. The tool enhances transparency and accountability, supporting national efforts to align with international deforestation regulations.
  

Nature and Net Zero: Truly ensuring climate action protects ecosystems.

• Apple is investing in restoring 25,000 acres of Brazilian pastureland, linking reforestation with carbon credit generation. The project aims to generate high-quality credits while restoring native ecosystems, showcasing a nature-positive investment model.
• Friends of the Earth warns nature-based solutions risk greenwashing if poorly designed. They advocate for stricter ecological safeguards to ensure that NbS genuinely protect biodiversity alongside delivering carbon benefits.
• A recent academic paper concludes that financial risk analysis must integrate ecosystem services. Recognising the economic value of ecosystems could significantly strengthen the financial case for investing in nature-positive activities.

Quick Hits.

Policy:

• EU proposes integrating High Seas Treaty into law to protect international waters.
• Brazil calls for COP30 climate negotiations to focus on nature-based solutions.
• Rising sovereign debt flagged as a threat to biodiversity conservation.

Investment:

• Robeco launches investor tool to identify biodiversity leaders and laggards.
• Ghana launches Biodiversity Finance Initiative.
• Less than half of companies owned by Norwegian sovereign fund consider nature as financially material.

People:

• EcoVadis launches real-time human rights survey tool for supply chains.
• The 2025 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is providing a forum through which Indigenous leaders are calling for stronger land rights, climate finance access, and protection against extractive industries.
• Liberia and Sierra Leone launch Gola Rainforest conservation and peace project, in partnership with the UN.

Your Take?

What matters most to your business? What do you want to see next?

📩 Reach out at hello@wildsight.co and let us know.

Your take will shape what we cover next.