In recent years, biodiversity has increasingly moved onto the corporate agenda. While the initial focus was primarily on environmental impacts and reporting obligations, a deeper awareness is now emerging: protecting natural capital is not merely a matter of risk management, but concerns the very ability of businesses to operate in economic environments increasingly exposed to resource scarcity, the effects of climate change, and ecosystem degradation.
The IPBES "Business and Biodiversity" report, published in 2026, highlights the pivotal role the private sector can play in tackling the key pressures driving biodiversity loss. The issue goes beyond simply reducing impacts; it is about the capacity of businesses to contribute—alongside other economic and institutional actors—to building an economy that is more resilient and nature-positive.
Businesses and the five main pressures on biodiversity
In recent years, the scientific community has clarified that the loss of biodiversity is driven primarily by five factors:
- land and sea use change
- direct exploitation of natural resources
- climate change
- pollution
- spread of invasive species
This is the picture outlined by IPBES and now widely accepted at the international level. Economic activities are involved—directly or indirectly—in each of these pressures. Raw material sourcing, industrial processing, energy consumption, and the management of infrastructure and logistics chains affect ecosystem functioning far more than is often realized.
For this reason, biodiversity cannot be viewed solely as an environmental issue; it concerns how businesses design products, operate within a territory, organize supply chains, and utilize natural resources.
Rethinking supply chains
For many businesses, the primary pressures on biodiversity stem not from direct operations but from supply chains. Agriculture, livestock farming, extractive activities, raw material production, and industrial processing can contribute to habitat loss, soil degradation, deforestation, and the overexploitation of natural resources. It is precisely for this reason that the issue of supply chain traceability has become central in recent years.
The European directive on deforestation (EUDR) represents a concrete example of this evolution: companies trading in certain commodities will be required to demonstrate that their products are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. However, the issue extends beyond regulatory compliance. Collaborating with suppliers, promoting sustainable production practices, and fostering transparency along the value chain means mitigating future risks and strengthening supply chain resilience amidst growing pressure on ecosystems.
Investing in nature-based solutions
Alongside risk management, interest in the economic opportunities associated with nature-positive development models is also growing. According to estimates from the World Economic Forum also referred to by Stockholm Environment Institute, a transition focused on nature conservation could generate over $10 trillion in economic opportunities and hundreds of millions of new jobs by 2030.
The so-called Nature-based Solutions—promoted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and supported by the United Nations—leverage ecosystem functions to address environmental, economic, and social challenges. Restoring wetlands to improve water resource management, regenerating agricultural soils, reforestation, urban green infrastructure, and rewilding degraded areas are all examples of interventions that can yield multiple benefits: enhancing climate resilience, fostering biodiversity, reducing operating costs, and creating value for local communities. According to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), investments in nature-based solutions represent one of the most effective levers for simultaneously tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.
From nature restoration to new collaboration opportunities
A particularly significant passage comes from the Nature Restoration Regulation which requires Member States to prepare national restoration plans to contribute to the recovery of degraded ecosystems.
Italy, too, will be required to submit its own national restoration plan, identifying priorities and actions to improve the condition of terrestrial, marine, agricultural, and urban ecosystems. This step could open up new opportunities for collaboration among institutions, local areas, and businesses.
It will be interesting to observe how the Plan is implemented and what opportunities it may generate for private sector engagement. Indeed, the challenge of ecosystem restoration will require investment, expertise, innovation, and the ability of diverse stakeholders to collaborate. In this context, new forms of public-private partnership could emerge, capable of mobilizing resources and accelerating initiatives for territorial regeneration, sustainable natural resource management, and the development of green infrastructure.
Businesses could be called upon to play an increasingly significant role—not merely as entities required to reduce their own impacts, but as active partners in developing projects that generate environmental, economic, and social benefits. If the national plan succeeds in creating a clear, investment-friendly framework, nature restoration could become a major hub for collaboration among institutions, local communities, and the business sector.
Read also:
From target to action: how the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standar is evolving
Protecting natural capital and biodiversity: a strategic priority for business