Stewardship of natural resources is a critical area for businesses in their transition plans; both in terms of scope and the challenges presented when connected with climate.

Reports of businesses impacted by water stress, leading to drops in output and falling profits, show how the climate-nature nexus can have a profound impact on global economics. The signs are all there – nature is biting back. Now is the time to make the climate-nature nexus your business.

Under pressure: the challenges are escalating

Why the urgency? Preparing a corporate organisation to become a sustainable business requires time and resource – and the clock is ticking. The global regulatory movement is driving rigorous regulatory pressure to integrate climate-and-nature-related risks into financial reporting. This requires organisations to understand and disclose how different futures will have an impact on the business through dependencies but also how the business may have an impact on the outside world. And, for some, non-compliance will bring financial penalties.

Heightened operational costs will also add pressure to business: carbon and environmental taxes; increased expense for using water where it is scarce; higher penalties for pollution; and regulatory taxation for deforestation and land-use change will all impact businesses, sooner rather than later.

Add to the mix the risks emerging from changing consumer demand for more sustainable products and services that can cause revenue shocks and the need to take steps towards building a sustainable business are thrown into sharp relief.

Positive change: intelligently driving sustainability

The interrelated nature of sustainability means that all business leaders, be they Chief Sustainability Officers, Chief Finance Officers or Chief Risk Officers, need a new way to address their respective challenges that also unifies teams and data; risks and opportunities; and the corresponding financial impacts into a single, connected view.

It’s time for business to lean into Sustainability Intelligence. The confluence of climate and nature analytics, data, technology and information flows that enables organisations to become profitably sustainable is the new business intelligence.

Rewiring your organisation through Sustainability Intelligence to transform and address these new challenges while delivering a holistic view of your climate-and-nature-related risks and opportunities brings benefits to the business.

This evidence-based approach provides credible insights for making operational and strategic decisions, bringing about science-led transition plans that guide organisations on their road to a net-zero, nature-positive future. 

Future focused: a new approach for Business 2.0

Our latest report, Sustainability Intelligence: connecting organisations to Business 2.0, sets out in detail what Sustainability Intelligence is, why it is important to companies, now, and how it will be responsible in safeguarding and innovating the business of the future. In short, this new approach for the business of the future, or Business 2.0, rests on four pillars: evidence based; holistic thinking; business integrity; and profitable sustainability. These pillars equip Sustainability Intelligence to provide a critical tool to help organisations navigate the complex business landscape and meet the evolving expectations of regulators, investors, customers and society at large. 

Optimising opportunities: a business transition gateway

Applying this tool will enable businesses to tackle the challenges, holistically, and optimise the opportunities emerging from the climate-nature nexus, all while growing strong roots that support organisations to transition and thrive sustainably in the future economy.

Sustainability Intelligence is a business-transition gateway that leads to substantial benefits:

  • Enable businesses to quantify their environmental impacts, identify areas for improvement and implement tangible strategies to reduce their carbon emissions, water consumption, waste generation and resource depletion.
  • Leverage advanced analytics and modelling capabilities, supporting companies to accurately assess their current performance, set ambitious yet achievable sustainability targets and measure their progress towards these targets over time.
  • Provide business with the data-driven insights that enable optimal strategic decisions to be made across the whole business, while maintaining business integrity, rewarding the business with a social licence to operate into the future.
  • Drive innovation within the organisation to benefit from the long-term value creation that these investments will deliver. For example, by integrating sustainability considerations into product design and development processes, companies can create environmentally responsible products and services that not only meet customer demands but also contribute to a more sustainable future.
  • Support financial planning and analysis, risk management and compliance; capital allocation and investment decisions; and financial reporting and disclosure:

Changing times: enabling profitable sustainability

The business transition required to oversee a strategic approach to becoming nature-positive is truly challenging; it relies on both capital investment and institutional change, supported by Sustainability Intelligence. While the challenge is great, the rewards await those organisations that have sown the seeds for future growth that is resilient and innovative, and enables business to become profitably sustainable.

  • Download the latest Risilience report: Sustainability Intelligence: connecting organisations to Business 2.0. 
  • Hear more about Sustainability Intelligence from Risilience Director of Environmental Analytics Oliver Carpenter who will be running a drop-in Reporting and Disclosure clinic at the Risilience stand, number 25, at EDIE 24 on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March, in London. Drop by the stand to meet the Risilience team and book a slot at the clinic.