The Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark assesses corporate progress toward key investor expectations on nature.
Benchmark results show most companies are still early in their nature journeys and more urgent and ambitious action is needed to mitigate growing material financial risks.
The company benchmark assessments are a major milestone for the initiative and its investor participants.
CALI, COLOMBIA — At this year’s United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), Nature Action 100, the first global investor-led engagement initiative to address nature and biodiversity loss, announced the results of its first benchmark assessment of corporate progress toward the initiative’s Investor Expectations for Companies.
The Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark’s results show that most of the initiative’s 100 companies are in the early stages of addressing their nature-related impacts and dependencies. Much more urgent and ambitious action is needed for companies to mitigate the growing material financial risks their businesses face from nature loss and fulfill the private sector’s role in reaching global biodiversity goals.
The benchmark is a valuable resource to support the private sector in contributing toward the successful implementation of the Biodiversity Plan and its goals. The benchmark indicators represent crucial actions companies can take to protect and restore nature and ecosystems in line with global goals as well as shift financial flows away from economic activities that negatively impact nature.
The benchmark will support investors, including the initiative’s more than 230 investor participants – representing over $30 trillion in assets under management or advice – in better understanding the material nature-related financial risks and opportunities in their portfolios to protect the long-term economic interests of their clients and beneficiaries. The benchmark assessments will be used to inform investor participants’ engagement and dialogues with companies under the initiative.
Inaugural benchmark provides new insight
A comprehensive overview of the assessments can be viewed here. Key findings include:
- The majority of companies disclose an ambition: Over two-thirds of companies (68) disclose a commitment to protect nature and two-thirds (46) of those have commitments that extend through company value chains.
- Few companies disclose robust nature-related assessments: Only one company discloses evidence of a comprehensive materiality assessment of nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, or opportunities.
- A significant number of companies disclose nature targets and plans to implement them: 47 companies disclose targets to avoid or reduce their impact on nature and over three-quarters (37) of these companies also disclose strategies for achieving those goals.
- Companies disclose limited progress towards recognizing and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: Only 31 companies meet at least one of the five benchmark metrics related to respecting and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who play crucial roles in biodiversity conservation, restoration, and stewardship. No company meets all the criteria.
The release of the first Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark represents a snapshot of corporate action in key sectors to reverse nature and biodiversity loss by 2030. As the material financial risks of nature loss and the economic benefits of restoring nature become clear and new resources to support corporate action emerge, it is anticipated that companies will make more progress in future benchmarks.
Investor support
Emine Isciel, Head of Climate and Environment, Storebrand Asset Management, and member of Nature Action 100 Steering Group, said: “By providing a comprehensive and comparable view of a company’s progress on nature action, the Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark enables constructive, action-oriented, and ultimately, measurable dialogue between investors and the focus companies. The benchmark sets a new standard and roadmap for investor engagement on nature, adding important momentum on investor action to support the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.”
Peter van der Werf, Head of Active Ownership, Robeco, and member of Nature Action 100 Steering Group, said: “Robeco recognizes that the release of the Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark marks a step change in how investors and corporates address the risk of nature loss. It provides a clear structure to signal the level of ambition, disclosure, and strategies investors expect from companies to mitigate their impacts and dependencies on nature. We anticipate this benchmark will help form a new market standard that advances the global effort to stem nature loss.”
Supporting partners
Mindy Lubber, Ceres CEO and President, said: “In front of the global community at COP16, Nature Action 100 is reaching another significant milestone with the release of its first benchmark assessments of corporate progress on nature action. The Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark provides much needed insight into what companies need to do to align their businesses to a more sustainable, climate-resilient, nature-positive economy.”
Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO, IIGGC, said: “The first benchmark assessments of companies are a major milestone for the initiative. While the assessments show that companies have a major hill to climb, investors – and companies – now have a better, more comprehensive understanding of where companies are on this journey. The benchmark is therefore of great value to investors and shows the role and value-add of the wider Nature Action 100 initiative.”
Nature Action 100’s Secretariat and Corporate Engagement Working Group is co-led by Ceres and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC).
Robin Millington, CEO, Planet Tracker, said: “Investor action is crucial in advancing a nature-positive future, essential for humanity’s prosperity in the 21st century. The Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark marks a key step in driving corporate accountability on nature-related risks, providing investors with a vital tool to assess progress and alignment with global biodiversity goals. As material risks from nature loss increase, this benchmark is an important advancement, helping businesses and investors contribute meaningfully to an environmentally sustainable future.”
Anita De Horde, Executive Director, Finance for Biodiversity Foundation, said: “The Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark results reveal that many companies express a nature-related ambition; what’s needed now is for those ambitions to be backed up with thorough nature-related assessments and strategies for achieving those ambitions. There is an urgent need for investors to seek transparency from companies to ensure that nature is fully integrated into corporate strategies and reporting.”
Nature Action 100’s Technical Advisory Group is co-led by the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation and Planet Tracker.
The first Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark was developed with financial support from BNP Paribas Asset Management.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
View key findings analysis here.
View the full benchmark results here.
View the individual company assessments here.
COP 16 BLUE ZONE EVENT:
On Oct. 29, Nature Action 100 will host a Blue Zone event at 10 a.m. local time in Cali, Colombia, to discuss the key findings from its initial benchmark assessment and opportunities for companies to accelerate their nature transition. It is open to journalists. Register here.
WEBINAR:
On Nov. 7, Nature Action 100 will host a webinar to go over the benchmark’s key findings for those who cannot attend COP16. It is open to journalists. Register here.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bridget Vis: vis@ceres.org
Ross Gillam: rgillam@iigcc.org
About Nature Action 100
Nature Action 100 is a global investor-led engagement initiative that aims to support greater corporate ambition and action on reversing nature and biodiversity loss to mitigate financial risk and to protect the long-term economic interests of investors’ clients and beneficiaries. Investors participating in the initiative engage companies in systemically important sectors to achieve this goal by 2030.
The initiative’s Secretariat and Corporate Engagement Working Group is co-led by Ceres and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), and the initiative’s Technical Advisory Group is co-led by the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation and Planet Tracker.
For more information on Nature Action 100, visit natureaction100.org.
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