Every business is unique and interacts with nature in a dynamic way, often full of complexity. It can be overwhelming to know where to start and where to draw the line, especially in terms of your value chain or scope three impacts.
While working with different types of businesses it is becoming clearer that each new project is effectively “starting again” but every experience uncovers new and interesting perspectives and sector overlaps that can be surprising.
It’s all too easy to get bogged down in the detail at the start. Here are my tips for anyone starting their journey to nature positive:
- Change the way you think about biodiversity. Businesses are moving away from token biodiversity gestures like beehives and wildflowers. This exercise is a strategic one, focused on eliminating ecological harm resulting from business operations and value chain activities.
- You can’t do it on your own. Make sure you have buy-in across your business, especially from operations and procurement functions.
- Remember to keep things high level at the beginning. Deep diving at this stage is a mistake, you maybe chasing down information on something that ends up being immaterial. Time wasted!
- Prepare for mistakes. We don’t have all the answers yet. Your first attempt might not be perfect. Be open to criticism and learn.
- Talk about what you’re doing. Openly share your learnings. We need leaders in this space, we need to create new standards for business. View this exercise as a standard-setting one and be proud of what you’re doing.
Above all, take that first step and know that your business depends on nature, and nature depends on you.
Lucy Gaffney, Director, Wild Plan