• The 'Nature Business Ambition' initiative -led by Forética and composed of nine large companies-, drives ambition, promotes action and invites to build alliances to contribute to the recovery of nature and biodiversity as a key axis to achieve a "Nature-positive" planet in 2030.
• The first edition of the initiative will address the business case of business management of nature to make visible and catalyze the consideration of the risks and opportunities of biodiversity and its relationship with the fulfillment of other extra-financial objectives, such as climate objectives.
• Together with climate emergency and inequality, driving business action on nature is one of the three major global challenges to be addressed included in the 'Vision 2050' roadmap, recently launched within the framework of the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development, led by Forética.

Forética launches the 'Nature Business Ambition' initiative with the aim of promoting business commitment to contribute to the recovery of nature and biodiversity as a key axis to achieve a "Nature-positive" planet in 2030. The 'Nature Business Ambition' initiative is made up of nine large companies: Accenture, Damm, EDP, Gestamp, LafargeHolcim, Leroy Merlin, Naturgy, Grupo OHLA and Sacyr.

In this first edition of the initiative, Forética will promote ambition by highlighting the commitment of the participating companies and giving visibility to their actions in order to direct a call to action to other organizations, promoting action, transferring the business case of the transition for companies, the main trends in the field, as well as the tools to move towards a 'Nature-positive' planet in 2030 and inviting the construction of alliances to contribute to the recovery of nature and biodiversity.

Ana Herrero, Director of Projects and Services at Forética, states: "According to data from the European Commission, more than half of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) depends, directly or indirectly, on nature and its services, and is exposed to the challenges derived from its loss. Therefore, the risks of inaction are increasingly higher for companies. In this context, Forética has launched the 'Nature Business Ambition' initiative. Undoubtedly, now is the time to promote business action on nature, as one of the three major global challenges that need an urgent response included in the 'Vision 2050' roadmap , recently launched within the framework of the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development. All this with a regenerative approach that helps to restore and nurture the social and environmental systems on which business activity depends."

The first edition of the 'Nature Business Ambition' initiative will address the business case for business management of nature, with the aim of helping companies to understand the current and changing context in terms of public policies and frameworks for action to move towards a "Nature-positive" planet, as well as in understanding the integration of nature into business strategy as a key action for managing risks and opportunities and meeting other extra-financial objectives, such as climate.

Elena Ruiz, Manager of the Nature Business Ambition initiative, adds: "All companies, regardless of the sector to which they belong, are related to nature, both in terms of dependence and impact. That is why inadequate management of the impact on natural capital can pose operational, financial, reputational or market risks for the private sector. There are numerous business opportunities with nature linked to product and service innovation, climate change mitigation and adaptation (through nature-based solutions), generating new financial flows from sustainable investments or improving the retention and attraction of talent".

Corporate commitment to nature

The business meeting to launch the initiative was attended by Tania López-Piñeiro, Area Coordinator of the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, who provided her perspective on the talks prior to the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) to be held this year.

For his part, the Director of Nature Action & Nature Based Solutions of the World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Tom Williams, explained the projects and actions developed by the organization at a global level in response to the imperative of business action on nature.

In addition, the companies that are part of the initiative have shared their vision on the need and motivation to promote business action in this area, with the intervention of Ana Millán, Director of Responsible Business at Accenture Iberia; Alba Linares, from the CSR Department of Damm; Ana Álvarez, from the Environmental Development Department of EDP; Ana Benavente, ESG Manager at Gestamp; Beatriz Rubio, Head of Sustainability at OHLA Group; Pilar Gegúndez, Environmental Director at LafargeHolcim; María Morales, from the Department of Institutional Communication and Responsible Business at Leroy Merlin; Nieves Cifuentes, Corporate Environmental Manager at Naturgy; and María Encarnación Mateos, Environmental Director at Sacyr.