BFBI at the EU Nature and Business Summit 2025

Business For Biodiversity Ireland attended the European Business & Nature Summit 2025 in Helsinki, Finland, on October 23 & 24, 2025, with our Head of Research Dr Emer Ní Dhúill joining a Business For Nature panel on ‘Embedding nature in your business strategy’ alongside Geoff Hamilton, Biodiversity Lead for BFBI Strategy Track members ESB.

The event, supported by the EU Business For Biodiversity Platform and Finish Innovation Fund Sitra, brought together leaders from across Europe to discuss the integration of nature into business strategies, focusing on practical steps, collaboration, and the economic importance of protecting natural capital. BFBI was also represented at the event by Team BFBI members Dr Maria Fitzpatrick (Executive Director), Iseult Sheehy (Head of Operations) and Dr Catherine Farrell (our Business Programme Lead), with thanks to National Parks & Wildlife Service.

The Day 1 Business For Nature session also featured sustainability leaders Anni Vuohelainen (Director Nature, Tetra Pak), Marie-Morgan Grebente (Nature & Biodiversity Lead, Decathlon), Holly Metcalfe (Manager, Roadmaps to Nature Positive, WBCSD), and Jesus Carrasco Narajo (Biodiversity Global Responsible, Iberdrola) with the panel chaired by Lizzy Elli (Global Engagement Lead, Business For Nature), the discussion covering the challenges facing businesses including gathering biodiversity data, and the need for support for businesses in navigating this evolving space.

“Nature literacy is quite a large barrier for businesses, also getting buy-in from the different parts of an organisation and a lack of expertise in the businesses to enable them to act…”Dr Emer Ní Dhúill, BFBI Head of Research.

“Inaction on biodiversity is the biggest risk. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Act and then change or iterate as more and better data becomes available.”- Geoff Hamilton, ESB

The biggest takeaway was that boosting biodiversity is an economic imperative, as stated by EC Director-General of Environment Eric Mamer in his opening remarks: “Protecting and restoring nature is a strategic economic choice. Europe must invest in what makes our economy resilient. Natural Capital is part and parcel of Europe’s competitiveness. Nature provides the Natural Capital that keeps our economy running.”

Collaboration Is Key

At the Plenary Session 3 panel discussion on Business action for Circular and Bioeconomy, Rolf Ladau, CEO, Paulig Group, emphasised: “You can only achieve a certain degree of change by yourself, to get beyond that you need to work with others. Collaboration is key…When it comes to securing a resilient food value chain in Europe we need to have a predictable regulatory environment…a functioning single market…and a clear, and long-term commitment.”

Heather Grabbe, Senior Fellow of Belgian think-tank Bruegel, commented on how extreme weather is clearly affecting markets, saying the best way to protect ourselves is a rapid move towards circularity while considering our supply and value chains here in Europe with a global lens. “There is an economic justice element – we need to consider the embedded environmental costs in the items we import and their negative impacts in other countries.

Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy commented: “We need to focus on better regulation and move faster, which is hard in the democratic way that we work. We also need to explain to businesses, which we are sometimes not good at, why we are enacting regulation. We need to have a change of mindset – as politicians, as businesses and consumers.”

New documents launched

The summit also saw the launch of the ‘It’s Now For Nature Pulse’ – a new Business for Nature report reflecting progress in corporate nature strategies, two years on from the launch of It’s Now For Nature Handbook. It shows how businesses are integrating biodiversity into their strategy using the leading frameworks and science-based methods (as aligned with our BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme as the coalition’s Irish partners.)

BFBI also participated in the interactive session on Day 2 for the launch of ‘Policy Imperatives for a Competitive and Resilient Nature Positive Economy’ a publication in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin and the European Commission, in conjunction with the Directorate-General for Research and Innovative Horizon Europe and Invest4Nature, to show how embedding nature into policy can secure Europe’s resilience and prosperity through strategic investment, coherent regulation, empowered local engagement and systemic reform. Geoff and our team also joined breakout discussion tables, pictured below, on ‘Navigating policy & stakeholder complexity.”

Horizon Nua Director Siobhan McQuaid moderated the discussion on ‘Rationale and roadblocks for business transformation to nature positive’ while launching the TF3 EC Expert publication which features new research and case studies from over 40 EU-funded projects. Co-authored by Siobhan and Horizon Nua EU Project Manager Martina Brophy, it sets out both the reasons and challenges for nature-positive transformation from a business and policy perspective. Access the new publication HERE.

The lively two days of discussion and networking rounded off with a dialogue by EU Commission Director of Biodiversity Humberto Delgado Rosa. EBNS2025 was streamed live – you can watch the recordings HERE.

Business For Biodiversity Ireland is here to support Irish businesses to meet the challenges of boosting resilience through nature action. To find out more about our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, sign up today or email our Executive Director Maria Fitzpatrick – our intake is open for 2026!