Sign up today for our next Discovery Track webinar

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What are your business’s impacts and dependencies on nature? What are the potential risks in your supply chain from nature loss and climate issues? The third Business For Biodiversity Ireland Discovery Track webinar of 2025 is coming on Wednesday, September 24, and will address how to tackle these questions when it comes to your business decisions.

Discovery webinars are free to all BFBI subscribers – sign up today to register for this and future Discovery webinars to learn more about the crucial issues facing Irish businesses in the evolving sustainability landscape. The Discovery Track, the first step on our 4-Track Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, is free to join for guidance on the evolving frameworks and stategy you need to ensure business resilience and longevity.

This Teams webinar (from 9.30am to 10.20am) will cover how the ACT-D Framework (Assess, Commit, Transform & Disclose) is a vital tool for assessing your business’s impacts and dependencies on nature, including upstream and downstream value chain relationships. The framework is aligned with current global best-practice from Business for Nature, Capitals Coalition, WBCSD, TNFD, Science Based Targets  Network, WEF and WWF.

Register here (and find past and future Discovery webinars and curated resources in the members menu): Join the Discovery Track

Join top changemakers for Climate Carnival 2025

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Business For Biodiversity Ireland is partnering with Climate Cocktail Club for an exciting event, Climate Carnival 2025.
The two-day event takes place in Co. Laois on September 29–30, 2025 in the idyllic Ballintubbert Gardens & House with up to 1,000 changemakers in attendance from across business, creative, science and activist sectors, with 10 performers and 60 world-class speakers across four stages and five immersive zones.
Billed as the event where ‘Bold, Brave Leadership Comes to Ireland’, Climate Carnival is designed to spark new connections, courageous conversation and bold solutions for climate, nature and communities. Expect interactive workshops, creative performances and sessions, live music, guided walks and talks, and an array of food, drink and exhibition options. The BFBI team will be there with an exhibition stand to answer questions about our work.

Headline speakers and performers include:

  • Blindboy, Podcaster and writer
  • Hafsat Abiola-Costello, Co-founder of Project Dandelion
  • Dr Easkey Britton, Author and ocean advocate
  • Dr Tara Shine, CEO of Change by Degrees
  • Willem Ferwerda, Founder of Commonland
  • Troy Armour, CEO of Junk Kouture
  • Anja Murray, Broadcaster and author
  • Plus musical performances from Liam Ó Maonlaí, Jerry Fish, Ceara Conway and more to be announced.
Highlights:
– September 29 – Climate Dinner: an evening of live music, local food and an inspirational keynote by Chair of Natural England Tony Juniper.
– September 30 – Carnival: over 30 interactive sessions to craft your own impact agenda, including speed networking, talks, comedy and live music.

Founder of Climate Cocktail Club and event curator Tom Popple said:

“This is not just another ESG conference, it is a radical reimagining of what a networking and insight event should really be about – people and impact…it’s for everyone from lonely climate leaders to fully fledged sustainability teams, for business professionals to impact entrepreneurs.”

Tickets: https://www.climatecocktailclub.org/events-1/climate-carnival-1-bold-brave-leadership

Webinar: Introducing the Nature-Based Enterprise

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BFBI is delighted to announce an introductory webinar on new market opportunities in nature-based solutions.

This webinar is organised in collaboration with the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform which brings together communities of nature-based enterprises, working with and for nature. These businesses are experiencing high market demand as they deliver nature-based solutions which help to address business dependencies and risks from nature loss and climate change. 

Whether you are interested in benefiting from nature-based solutions to climate adaptation, developing new products and services, you are a start-up business in this area, or you will have businesses like these in your supply chain, this webinar provides a good understanding of how your business can participate in the nature positive economy and go nature positive! 

Webinar date: August 20th, 2025
Time: 12-1pm
Via Teams: Register HERE

Our speaker: Isobel Fletcher is CEO of Horizon Nua, a not-for-profit foundation based in Dublin working to accelerate the just transition towards a nature-positive economy and manager of the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform. An advocate for nature-based entrepreneurship, Isobel leads the team working to co-develop nature-positive entrepreneurial strategies at regional and municipal level through multiple European initiatives to support the delivery of nature-based solutions as part of the just transition to an equitable, carbon neutral and nature-positive economy. Isobel is a member of the EC NbS Task forces on the nature-positive economy and communications. 

 

Assess: How your business interfaces with nature

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BFBI Business Programme Lead Dr Catherine Farrell CIEEM, Trinity College Dublin, writes on the process steps around undertaking a Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) to help guide your nature strategy: this article focuses on the ways to understand how businesses interface with nature, highlighting the data needs but also the language of a DMA.

Following from our inspiring and interactive workshop on March 10th (read about it here), alongside colleagues from Deloitte, the Business for Biodiversity Ireland team led the second of our Action Track workshop series on May 20th. While our initial workshop focused on the key elements of what a Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) is (and/or isn’t), especially the value chain, this time we focused on how we can map and track the interface of business with nature.

This involves homing in on ‘the where’ part of the DMA process. In essence, this means gathering your organisation’s location data like maps, and – in tandem – figuring out the other types of data available, what they measure and why. Then its time to focus on how we might use data (which may be freely available as well as company-held) to inform our DMA. Our colleagues from Deloitte shared their DMA journey, highlighting how tools like the TNFD LEAP (Locate, Evaluate, Assess and Prepare), can help bring understanding of our business interfaces with nature to light.

In this article we focus more on data and the language of data and DMA (beware of the acronyms!):

Data: we hear a lot about data these days, but when we’re trying to understand our business impacts and dependencies (how we rely on nature) we really need to focus on data relating to aspects of nature referenced in the nature-related reporting frameworks like CSRD, TNFD, SBTN and GRI.

We can start by breaking these into –

  • Locational data (a map of where we operate – note, start with one part of your value chain and get the hang of it!)
  • What types of habitats or ecosystems are present in those places (the basic type and their extent)
  • What our impact is on these specific areas of ecosystem (how we influence their condition), and
  • How we rely on them (what we need from these ecosystems as inputs, aka ecosystem services to our operations) or impact them.

This helps us Locate, Evaluate and Assess our impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities, and then Prepare to report (think LEAP). We can do this by using available data on habitats, but -now, a health warning – in Ireland habitat data is quite limited. With some ecological input to help, however, we can gather up what is available, in a useful way.

Language: ecological and nature lingo is nuanced but not beyond our reach. It’s helpful to have someone working with us that can communicate these nuances in a clear, simple way. During our workshop we discovered that acronyms and strange ‘eco’ languages can be off putting initially, but once we get into the flow, we find what we need to know.

Many thanks to Aoife Connaughton and Deloitte for collaborating on this workshop, National Biodiversity Data Centre’s Sarah Kelly, and all our Action Track businesses for participating in our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, including CIE and CIE Tours, Cloud Assist, Irish Rail, Irish Trees, Future Energy Ireland, KMK, Scott Cawley Ltd, Shannon Airport, Trinity College Dublin and Watermark Coffee.

Strategy: Setting SMART nature targets for your business

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Following from our kick-off Strategy Track workshop in January where we focused on the key elements of what a Nature Ambition Statement is (and why every organisation should have one!), BFBI Business Programme Lead Dr Catherine Farrell CIEEM, Trinity College Dublin, writes on the most recent workshop for our businesses on this track – where we outlined how to set SMART nature targets to underpin businesses’ nature strategies.

In our first workshop, we outlined the business need for a deep understanding of impacts and dependencies on nature, and importantly, where these occur along the business value chain. Focusing on our greatest impacts and dependencies on nature is an effective first step towards setting targets to both reduce the impacts, and – critically – to reduce potential financial risks and leverage opportunities at the same time. Risks arise when we are dependent on ecosystem services (also referred to as ‘nature’s contributions to people‘), but the continued flow of those services (perhaps from upstream in our value chain, as in the provision of raw materials), might well be reduced due to an affect beyond our control (think changing weather patterns on crops, for example).

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound nature targets
And so, armed with this understanding of our value chains, we worked through the process of setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) nature targets for the businesses present at our workshop. We covered some key elements such as: targets can be generic, broad, and/or highly specific; they can be action- or outcome-focused, short or long-term, but they must always relate to the value chain. Importantly, if we are to set SMART targets, they must be resourced and matched by indicators to track progress. Thankfully, there is a range of useful guidance out there, such as the WWF Corporate Nature Targets publication, and the Science-Based Targets Network framework (with lots of great resources and videos).

As previously, we followed the guidance for the accelerator programme for businesses as set out by Business for Nature under the Commit phase of their ACT-D framework.

Setting targets may seem daunting, but if we focus on one aspect of our value chain to start with, and work through the process, then this builds familiarity and confidence in the process. At our next workshop for this track later in the year, we will focus on how to monitor, evaluate and disclose progress towards our nature targets, and how they link to other sustainability targets.

The team at Business for Biodiversity Ireland wish to extend our gratitude to Thomas Ball and Ellen Cunningham, of the KPMG Ireland Sustainable Futures Nature & Land Use Unit for supporting us in delivering this workshop. Thanks also to our host Geoff Hamilton and ESB for looking after us at their Fitzwilliam Square Head Office in Dublin. Many thanks to our associates in the National Biodiversity Data Centre and Business in the Community Ireland, and to all the businesses in our Strategy Track including An Post, ESB, Bank of Ireland,  Bus Éireann, Cairn Homes, Glenveagh Properties, Gas Networks Ireland and SAP Landscapes for doing this important work with us.

Group of people in a boardroom, some kneeling to fit in the frame

BFBI nominated for Business & Finance ESG Awards 2025

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Business For Biodiversity Ireland is delighted to be named as a finalist in the Business & Finance Media Group ESG Awards 2025 – in association with Grant Thornton Ireland – in the ‘Biodiversity Leadership in Business Award’ category.

The awards recognise the efforts of companies in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices, and celebrate those driving change through innovative policies, technology solutions, and sustainable business practices.

Congratulations also to our fellow nominees Wildacres, Biodiversity In Schools, Coillte and Dublin Port Company and to all the nominees across categories including An Post, Dublin Port Company, Bord Gáis Energy and Aldi.

The ESG Leader Award will be presented to Mary Robinson, recognising her dedication to sustainability, climate justice, and social equity on both a national and global scale.

Tracey Carney, Managing Director, Business & Finance, said: “The calibre of entries for the 2025 Business & Finance ESG Awards reflects the remarkable strides taken by organisations across Ireland in integrating sustainability at the core of their business strategies.

“We are seeing a significant shift towards collective responsibility, where entire teams are driving change and delivering measurable ESG impact.”

The winners will be announced in a ceremony on April 10 in The Mansion House, Dublin.

Read more on the Business & Finance site.
Read more on RTE News.

Strategy: Developing a Nature Ambition Statement

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BFBI Business Programme Lead Dr Catherine Farrell CIEEM, Trinity College Dublin, who presented at our recent Stategy Track workshop in Dublin, recaps on the benefits of developing a Nature Ambition Statement to help guide your nature strategy.

It’s is the perfect time to set targets for the coming year. And so, in the spirt of setting a steady nature-positive pace, the team at Business for Biodiversity Ireland, with help from the Sustainable Futures team at KPMG Ireland, kicked off 2025 with an insightful January workshop for our Strategy Track businesses.

Our focus was on the key elements of what a Nature Ambition Statement is – and why every organisation should have one. BFBI, in partnership with Business for Nature, is hosting the It’s Now for Nature Accelerator programme to empower Irish businesses to develop and publish a credible nature strategy.

Step 1: So, you’ve done your basic value-chain mapping, you’ve identified your main impacts and dependencies, and you’ve found that biodiversity is a material topic for your business to include in annual reporting. In the process, you’ve highlighted key areas to focus on, and you have a sense of what you can achieve. Maybe you also discovered areas that your employees or customers want you to focus on. But you need a North Star to guide your next steps. That is what your Nature Ambition Statement is.

There are some good examples available to learn from, such as the ambition statement developed by Foresight Group, and Business for Nature has provided some good guidance around elements that should be included – such as, how your ambition aligns with the Global Biodiversity Framework targets and timelines for delivery. 

Step 2: The ambition, set out in Step 1, can only be achieved if it is supported by setting targets that can be realised. We need to be thinking about targets that are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound; being clear on what is achievable and within what timeframes. This will be the focus of our next two Strategy Track business workshops coming up later in the year.

In a nutshell, a Nature Ambition Statement sets the coordinates for where your business needs to, and importantly, wants to, go for nature. It can be used to help guide the target-setting process within the company but it also sends a clear, action-oriented message to your customers and key stakeholders. The process itself – agreeing and refining the business’ nature ambition – could also be described as the first step in business transformation.

The next step is getting clear on what the business can do, and what it is ready to commit to, towards a nature-positive future. More on this to come in our next workshop in April.

Our Strategy Track includes pilot BFBI businesses who have been progressing their organisation’s Nature Strategy and sharing feedback along the way, including An Post, Bank of Ireland, Bus Eireann, Cairn Homes, ESB Networks, Gas Networks Ireland, Glenveagh Properties, KPMG Ireland’s Sustainable Futures, SAP Landscapes and our associates at Business in The Community Ireland, Biodiversity Data Centre and Trinity College Dublin.

  • To take the first step on the BFBI 4-Track Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, your organisation can sign up for our free Discovery Track. Once you have a good handle on what’s needed for your business to begin to take action, you can sign-up to progress along the paid Action Track, then the next step will be the Strategy Track.

Read more here – How It All Works.

Our next members webinar is coming up this November

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On November 14, we’ll host a Lunch and Learn webinar to get recent and joining members up to speed on how and where your business interacts with nature and biodiversity.

  • What risks are businesses facing in this nature crisis?
  • How do we address these risks?
  • How can the nature-positive approach bring opportunities to your business?
  • How can we comply with the CSRD?

Join Lucy Gaffney and our team for this Business & Biodiversity 101 session – sign up to get on the Discovery Track, a free first step to the BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme – all Business For Biodiversity Ireland members can register for the webinar once logged into the Members Section of our website.

Broaden your understanding of your business relationship with nature and get to grips with where to start on credible nature action and legislative compliance for your organisation.

Log in to register HERE.

The BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme

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Business For Biodiversity Ireland (BFBI) has released our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme to guide Irish businesses to develop a strong, credible strategy to identify their impacts and dependencies on nature and ensure compliance with the new EU legislation regarding environmental reporting.  

The Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme has been developed following a series of insightful sessions with the European Business and Biodiversity Platform and other national platforms, and reflects a model of best practice in line with current international developments, tailored to the Irish context and aligned with grants available in Ireland through Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland, Údarás or the IDA.

All new and existing Business For Biodiversity Ireland members can avail of the introductory Discovery Track for free, with access to guidance and webinars to bring them up to speed on their relationship to biodiversity.

The Discovery Track offers:

  • Three biodiversity-focused training webinars throughout the year
  • Guidance on how to start your nature-positive journey
  • Curated videos and online training resources to help you on your way
  • A quarterly newsletter with details of upcoming biodiversity-focused events
  • Updates on EU regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

BFBI Chair of the Board Susan Rossney, Sustainability Advocacy Manager of Chartered Accountants Ireland, urged all businesses to join up and start their journey, as time is of the essesnce to ensure a sustainable ‘Nature Positive’ future for the Irish economy. She said: “A whole-of-society approach is needed to deliver a nature-positive economy – an economy that results in increasing levels of nature over time and that no longer incentivises the overexploitation of nature. Nature provides a third of the climate mitigation potential we need to achieve our climate goals, so delivering a nature-positive economy is imperative for reaching our climate targets.

“A nature-positive economy is similarly vital to our long-term economic resilience: 55% of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Despite this, many businesses are unaware of their dependence on and impact on biodiversity, a risk made all the greater now that larger companies are legally bound to disclose information on their environmental impact via the CSRD.

“As the pivotal UN Biodiversity Conference ‘COP16’ takes place to address the global biodiversity crisis, and as the World Wildlife Foundation’s Living Planet Report tells us of 73% average decline in wildlife populations over the last 50 years, it is a fitting time for Business for Biodiversity Ireland to launch our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme. With a mandate under the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan, BFBI has built a powerful profile advocating for nature-positive business. This programme will empower businesses to deliver positive outcomes for people, planet and nature.”

Explore the benefits of our Discovery Track: How it all works 

All members are invited to join the Discovery Track series of webinars.

Register now to join the next webinar on March 26, 2025, 9.30.

European Business & Biodiversity Forum 2024

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The European Business & Biodiversity Forum is coming up in Brussels this September 19, 2024.

The Forum, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly the World Wildlife Fund, with the support of the EU Business & Biodiversity Platform, will build on the momentum for biodiversity and calls for growing transformative action from business, with a high-level international conference that aims to rally companies, financial institutions, and partner organisations committed to elevating their efforts in biodiversity conservation and restoration.

The events, also online, will explore the role of businesses in the international context and at the upcoming COP16 Global Summit, also considering the regulatory context, the key role of financial institutions in driving corporate action, and the importance of building robust transition plans for nature. Speakers will include representatives from pioneering organisations, over several workshops and networking sessions.

Register now to secure your spot and be part of the conversation, on-site participation and online available HERE

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Please reach out to us with any questions, comments or ideas that you have at manager@businessforbiodiversity.ie 

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