Assessment of nature-related opportunities
Does the company assess its nature-related opportunities?
The WBA Nature Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to protect the environment and its biodiversity, tracking how companies are reducing their negative impacts on nature and contributing to the protection and restoration of ecosystems, aligned with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The 2026 edition assessed 750 companies across multiple sectors including agro-food, forestry, building, tourism and the blue economy. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, SBTN, and TNFD, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where nature-related risks are highest and act to halt damaging trends, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.
More information can be found here.
More information can be found here.
Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans derive from ecosystems and on which
human life and activities, including corporate activities, rely. Research shows that more than 50% of
global gross domestic product is directly linked to these ecosystem services (WEF and PwC, 2020),
exposing companies to significant nature-related dependencies, risks and opportunities. The 2024
Global Risks Report shows that the top four risks identified over the next ten years are all
environmental: extreme weather events, critical change to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and
ecosystem collapse, and natural resource shortages. Understanding and disclosing these factors is
essential for companies to develop resilient strategies and contribute to a sustainable economyCompanies must:
Identify nature-related opportunities that could impact their business positively.
Quantify the potential benefits of these opportunities (e.g., how it can enhance operational efficiencies, reduce costs, or open new revenue streams), using financial metrics or qualitative descriptions to articulate the anticipated value to the business.
Nature-related opportunities, following [TNFD guidance](https://tnfd.global/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Recommendations_of_the_Taskforce_on_Nature-related_Financial_Disclosures_September_2023.pdf?v=1695118661) (p. 36), are activities that create positive outcomes for organisations and nature through (i.) positive impacts or (ii.) mitigation of negative impacts on nature. These can be split into two categories, which are not mutually exclusive:
**Business performance opportunities**:
**Markets: **Access to new markets or locations arising from changes to things like consumer demands, consumer and investor sentiment, and stakeholder dynamics.
**Products and services**: Developing new products or services that capitalize on environmental conservation and restoration, such as eco-tourism or sustainable product lines.
**Resource efficiency**: Improvements in the efficiency of natural resource use, such as energy, water, and raw materials, which reduce costs and enhance resilience.
**Capital flow and financing: **Attracting** **investors interested in sustainable practices, potentially leading to improved financing conditions.** **
**Reputational capital**: Enhancing brand reputation by actively engaging in natural capital conservation, appealing to a growing base of environmentally conscious consumers.
****
**Sustainability performance opportunities**:
**Sustainable use of natural resources**: Substitution of natural resources by recycled, regenerative, renewable or ethically responsibly sourced organic inputs.
**Ecosystem protection, restoration, and regeneration**: Activities that support the protection, regeneration or restoration of habitats and ecosystems, including areas both within and outside organisation’s direct control. For example, by investing in green infrastructure like wetland restoration, companies can reduce costs associated with natural hazards or water filtration, leading to operational cost savings.
human life and activities, including corporate activities, rely. Research shows that more than 50% of
global gross domestic product is directly linked to these ecosystem services (WEF and PwC, 2020),
exposing companies to significant nature-related dependencies, risks and opportunities. The 2024
Global Risks Report shows that the top four risks identified over the next ten years are all
environmental: extreme weather events, critical change to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and
ecosystem collapse, and natural resource shortages. Understanding and disclosing these factors is
essential for companies to develop resilient strategies and contribute to a sustainable economyCompanies must:
Identify nature-related opportunities that could impact their business positively.
Quantify the potential benefits of these opportunities (e.g., how it can enhance operational efficiencies, reduce costs, or open new revenue streams), using financial metrics or qualitative descriptions to articulate the anticipated value to the business.
Nature-related opportunities, following [TNFD guidance](https://tnfd.global/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Recommendations_of_the_Taskforce_on_Nature-related_Financial_Disclosures_September_2023.pdf?v=1695118661) (p. 36), are activities that create positive outcomes for organisations and nature through (i.) positive impacts or (ii.) mitigation of negative impacts on nature. These can be split into two categories, which are not mutually exclusive:
**Business performance opportunities**:
**Markets: **Access to new markets or locations arising from changes to things like consumer demands, consumer and investor sentiment, and stakeholder dynamics.
**Products and services**: Developing new products or services that capitalize on environmental conservation and restoration, such as eco-tourism or sustainable product lines.
**Resource efficiency**: Improvements in the efficiency of natural resource use, such as energy, water, and raw materials, which reduce costs and enhance resilience.
**Capital flow and financing: **Attracting** **investors interested in sustainable practices, potentially leading to improved financing conditions.** **
**Reputational capital**: Enhancing brand reputation by actively engaging in natural capital conservation, appealing to a growing base of environmentally conscious consumers.
****
**Sustainability performance opportunities**:
**Sustainable use of natural resources**: Substitution of natural resources by recycled, regenerative, renewable or ethically responsibly sourced organic inputs.
**Ecosystem protection, restoration, and regeneration**: Activities that support the protection, regeneration or restoration of habitats and ecosystems, including areas both within and outside organisation’s direct control. For example, by investing in green infrastructure like wetland restoration, companies can reduce costs associated with natural hazards or water filtration, leading to operational cost savings.