What is a nature positive business strategy?

Benefits of a nature positive business strategy 

Embracing a nature positive business strategy delivers tangible business value, helping organisations reduce risk, drive innovation, and strengthen resilience in an increasingly resource-constrained world.

1. Risk reduction and resilience

By preserving ecosystems and reducing environmental harm, businesses mitigate risks related to supply chain disruption, resource scarcity, and regulatory penalties. Nature positive strategies build long-term resilience against biodiversity loss and climate impacts.

2. Compliance and access to capital

Nature-related disclosure requirements are rising globally. A proactive strategy positions businesses ahead of regulation, making them more attractive to ESG investors and eligible for sustainable finance instruments like green bonds and biodiversity credits.

3. Brand and reputation value

Consumers, investors, and employees increasingly prefer purpose-driven brands. A nature positive stance enhances reputation, strengthens stakeholder trust, and improves competitive positioning.

4. Market and innovation opportunities

Shifting to nature-based solutions opens avenues for product innovation, such as regenerative food, biodegradable materials, and biodiversity-enhancing services. These innovations can lead to premium pricing and new revenue streams.

5. Cost efficiencies over time

Healthy ecosystems support business operations. For example, improved soil health reduces fertiliser needs; cleaner water systems lower treatment costs. Nature positive investments often lead to long-term operational savings.

6. Talent attraction and retention

Sustainability-minded talent is drawn to organisations that prioritise environmental integrity. A nature positive business strategy can boost staff engagement and retention, especially among younger, purpose-driven professionals.

What is a nature positive business strategy? 

A nature positive business strategy is a forward-thinking approach that ensures a company contributes to the restoration and regeneration of the natural world while continuing to meet its commercial objectives.

Assessing impacts and dependencies

The first step in any nature positive business strategy involves identifying how the business interacts with nature. This includes both direct impacts (land and water use) and indirect effects (supply chains, emissions, and resource extraction). Tools and frameworks like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) help organisations establish a credible baseline and assess risk exposure.

Setting science-based targets

Once a baseline is established, businesses can define measurable goals to reduce their environmental footprint and restore biodiversity. These science-based targets guide strategic decision-making and enable companies to track their contributions to broader global goals, such as those outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Embedding nature into business operations

A nature positive strategy must be integrated across the organisation, not siloed in sustainability departments. This means embedding biodiversity considerations into procurement policies, product development, risk management, and corporate strategy. Cross-functional collaboration is critical, ensuring that departments, from finance to marketing, are aligned with nature-focused goals.

Implementing action and investment

Organisations must take meaningful action, such as investing in nature-based solutions like reforestation, wetland restoration, or regenerative agriculture. These initiatives not only benefit ecosystems but also strengthen business resilience. Working closely with suppliers and partners ensures alignment across the value chain and supports long-term success.

Measuring progress and reporting transparently

Robust monitoring and transparent reporting are essential to track progress and build trust. By disclosing nature-related risks and outcomes using recognised frameworks, companies can communicate their impact clearly to investors, customers, and other stakeholders.

Engaging with stakeholders

Engaging with local communities, Indigenous groups, NGOs, and regulatory bodies is vital. A nature positive business strategy must be inclusive, co-developed with those who are most affected by land use and environmental decisions. Such collaboration ensures the strategy is credible, grounded, and socially responsible.

Nature positive in practice: Key approaches 

Across industries, businesses are adopting diverse, practical approaches to embed nature positive principles, proving that restoring biodiversity and building commercial value can go hand in hand.

Wildfarmed

Wildfarmed is a UK-based regenerative grain company founded by former Groove Armada musician Andy Cato. It partners with over 150 farms across the UK to reintroduce biodiversity and restore soil health through chemical-free, soil-first farming methods. Farmers under the Wildfarmed model grow crops without synthetic fertilisers or pesticides and use intercropping systems to enhance soil biodiversity and resilience.

Wildfarmed’s products have gained listings in major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, M&S, and Waitrose, as well as restaurant chains like Nando’s. This strong market uptake highlights a growing consumer appetite for products that align with nature-friendly values. By improving soil quality and reducing reliance on chemical inputs, Wildfarmed farmers also benefit from lower input costs and more resilient yields. 

Volkswagen

Volkswagen has taken a data-driven approach to becoming nature positive by integrating biodiversity insights into its operational footprint. Through a partnership with nature-tech company Nala Earth, Volkswagen uses geospatial analysis to identify “biodiversity hotspots” within and around its global production sites. This allows the company to assess its nature-related risks and target mitigation efforts more effectively.

The result is a more robust strategy for protecting biodiversity within the automotive industry’s complex supply chains. By incorporating biodiversity into its ESG metrics, Volkswagen is improving transparency, strengthening stakeholder trust, and future-proofing its operations against regulatory and reputational risks. This approach highlights how technology can facilitate credible, measurable, and scalable nature positive action in industrial contexts.

Kering 

Kering is a global luxury group based in France, owning iconic fashion brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga. Recognising the fashion industry’s impact on nature, Kering developed the Environmental Profit & Loss (EP&L) methodology. This pioneering tool quantifies the environmental costs of its operations, including biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, water use, and land use change. This strategy allows Kering to integrate nature-related impacts directly into financial decision-making. 

By understanding the ecological footprint of raw materials and production processes, the group has implemented regenerative sourcing initiatives, especially in leather and cotton supply chains. Brands like Stella McCartney and Gucci have shifted towards sourcing that supports biodiversity, such as using organic, regenerative fibres and restoring degraded ecosystems through supply partnerships. Kering’s leadership in nature positive accounting has strengthened its ESG profile, attracted sustainability-driven investors, and enabled access to sustainable finance. 

Final thoughts 

Nature positive thinking is becoming an essential part of how businesses define success in a changing world. As biodiversity becomes central to risk management, innovation, and stakeholder expectations, companies that prioritise ecosystem restoration and regeneration are gaining a clear strategic edge.

The organisations featured here show that a nature positive business strategy can deliver measurable benefits. Their strategies signal where the market is heading – towards business models that regenerate, not deplete; that create shared value across ecosystems, supply chains, and society.