After understanding how the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of natural capital represent a systemic risk for the global economy, a new and more concrete phase opens up for businesses: translating awareness into action. The question is no longer whether to intervene, but how to do it effectively, credibly and coherently with a rapidly evolving context.
In recent years, the reference framework has in fact been enriched with tools, standards and regulations which, despite their complexity, outline an increasingly clear trajectory: for companies, navigating these elements does not only mean responding to emerging obligations, but building a competitive positioning in an economy increasingly attentive to the value of nature.
Changing rules: biodiversity enters the law and the market
One of the most evident signs of this change is represented by the strengthening of the regulatory framework. At European level, the Deforestation Regulation - EUDR - introduces a principle destined to have a profound impact on global value chains: products placed on the European market must be demonstrably "deforestation-free".
This means that companies can no longer limit themselves to generic declarations, but must equip themselves with traceability and due diligence systems capable of guaranteeing the sustainable origin of raw materials. It is a crucial step, because it shifts sustainability from the reputational level to the strategic and operational level, with a strong impact on the definition of agreements and contracts along the supply chain.
Even at a national level, the signal is clear. The reform of the Italian Constitution introduced the protection of the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems among the fundamental principles, explicitly recognizing the link between economic activity and the protection of natural capital.
A common direction: the Global Biodiversity Framework
Alongside regulation, a global strategic framework is also being consolidated. The Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, today represents the international compass for halting and reversing nature loss by 2030.
While not binding for businesses, the framework defines objectives intended to guide public policies, investments and stakeholder expectations. Among these, the "30x30" target - protecting 30% of lands and seas by 2030 - is probably the best known, but equally relevant is the growing attention to the measurement and transparency of corporate impacts on biodiversity.
From strategy to management: the role of TNFD
If the global picture defines the direction, businesses need tools to translate it into practice. It is into this space that the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) fits. The TNFD was created with the aim of helping companies understand and manage the risks and opportunities linked to nature, introducing a structured approach that allows biodiversity to be integrated into decision-making processes. The heart of the framework is the LEAP model, which guides companies in identifying interactions with ecosystems, assessing impacts and integrating them into the strategy.
Beyond the technical aspects, the value of the TNFD is also of a cultural nature, because it contributes to moving biodiversity from an "environmental" issue to an economic and financial variable, making it relevant for the dialogue with investors, banks and insurance companies.
Another tool to support the definition of nature-positive strategies are the Science-Based Targets for Nature which allow companies to move from generic commitments to measurable targets on biodiversity, water, soil and oceans. This paradigm shift is fundamental: what cannot be measured is difficult to manage, and without clear objectives it becomes difficult to demonstrate credible progress.
In this sense, SBTN represents a bridge between analysis and action, offering companies a methodology to translate the complexity of biodiversity into operational choices.
New frontiers: opportunities and limits of nature credits
At the same time, innovative financial instruments such as nature credits are emerging, designed to attribute an economic value to ecosystem conservation and restoration activities.
The idea is to create market mechanisms capable of channeling resources towards nature protection projects, similarly to what happened with carbon credits. However, unlike the latter, nature credits are still in an early stage of development. There is no shortage of critical issues, starting from the difficulty of measuring biodiversity, the risk of ineffective compensatory approaches and the lack of shared standards. For this reason, today nature credits represent more of a complementary lever than a main solution, to be combined with strategies for direct impact reduction.
At first glance, the number of tools and references available may appear confusing. In reality, there is a logic that connects them: regulation defines the perimeter, global frameworks indicate the direction, operational tools support implementation and financial mechanisms enable investments. The challenge for companies is not to choose a single tool, but to build an integrated approach, capable of connecting compliance, risk management and innovation. In this sense, it is therefore important to consider nature increasingly as a new strategic dimension, destined to influence not only sustainability policies, but the very way of doing business.
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