Join us at the Business Post ESG Autumn Summit 2025

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Business for Biodiversity Ireland is delighted to once again be partnering with the Business Post ESG Autumn Summit, on Thursday, November 20th in Croke Park, Dublin. BFBI Business Programme Lead Dr Catherine Farrell CIEEM, Asst Prof at Trinity Business School, will be moderating the deep dive panel on Making the Business Case for a Nature-Positive Future, alongside John Barcroft, Sustainability Consultant at The Environmental Edge.

The panel, covering data challenges, evolving regulations, tech and metrics to integrate nature and climate into strategy, will feature Dr Shane McGuinness, FRGS, Asst Prod in Sustainability in the School of Geography, UCD, Founder/Chair, Peatland Finance Ireland, Paul Kennedy, Chief Commercial Officer, Proveye and Tom Popple, Founder and Chief Impact Navigator, BE IMPACTFUL & Climate Cocktail Club.

Regardless of the ESG pushback in some quarters, the reality is that all businesses will be required to decarbonise and reduce their impact on the planet as climate and nature-related shocks such as weather extremes and disrupted supply chains become more frequent. ESG is no longer just a compliance issue – it has become a core part of business strategy. This ESG Summit offers a platform for dialogue, innovation and action in addressing the challenges facing today’s businesses and sustainability professionals. Join business leaders, forward-thinking organisations, policymakers and changemakers for practical strategies to navigate regulatory changes, acquire actionable insights and build valuable networks. View the agenda HERE.

The BFBI Team will be here hosting an exhibition stand to discuss how we can help Irish businesses to tackle all of the above – come and ask us about our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme!

Discounted Ticket Offer: As part of our partnership with the Business Post’s, ESG Summit, get a 15% discount on the standard ticket price by using the discount coupon code BIO15.
(If you require any further information or require assistance with your booking, you can contact Jackie Bryan on 00353 87 0557913 or on email: jackie.bryan@businesspost.ie)

Register for the ESG Autumn Summit HERE.

BFBI at the EU Nature and Business Summit 2025

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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 Finnish 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), Hing Kin Lee, (Group Leead For Nature, NextEnergy Capital), 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!

Dr Maria Fitzpatrick is our new Executive Director

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Business For Biodiversity Ireland is delighted to welcome Dr Maria Fitzpatrick as our new Executive Director.

Maria originally joined BFBI as our Business Development Manager and will continue to work closely with our business members as they embark on our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme.

Maria has a PhD in Freshwater Ecology, looking at Irish headwater streams, and worked as an Environmental Consultant before moving to London to work at Queen Mary University of London and then to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to build and head up the Research Funding Services for Kew Science.

She is Circular Economy trained with a CSRD professional qualification and blends scientific expertise, project, relationship management skills, and a keen understanding of the environmental challenges our world is facing to build compelling cases for change.

Maria said: “At BFBI our mission is to empower every business to incorporate nature into decision making – we do this by creating awareness and building capacity within the organisations that we work with, strengthening their understanding, building resilience and supporting change throughout their operations.”

Curious about joining the 2026 Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme for Irish businesses? Register for the free Discovery Track to learn more or contact Maria at manager@businessforbiodiversity.ie

Webinar: Supporting Action for Business & Biodiversity

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Do you understand the value that nature and biodiversity brings to your business?

Every organisation impacts and depends on nature, and Business For Biodiversity Ireland is delighted to join with Waterford City & County Council Climate Action Team to offer this free webinar to explain how Irish businesses can act now to protect and enhance biodiversity by developing a strong Nature Strategy to add value and boost resilience for your organisation.

Speaker: Dr Emer Ní Dhúill, Head of Research, Business For Biodiversity Ireland
Date: November 11, 2025
Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Online over Zoom
Register HERE via Eventbrite

BFBI is proud to partner with Waterford City & County Council as part of their Business Pledge for A Greener Cleaner Waterford for members’ commercial rates energy discount – businesses can take our free Discovery Track, the first step in the BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme, with free training webinars and resources to inform an organisation’s biodiversity strategy, as an action as part of their pledge. #BFBICollaborations

Event: Join BFBI at the EU Business & Nature Summit

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The BFBI team is looking forward to joining Business for Nature at the European Business and Nature Summit 2025 on October 23rd in Helsinki, Finland.

The Irish contingent will be out in force with BFBI’s Dr Emer Ní Dhúill participating in a session led by  Business For Nature’s Head of Global Engagement, Michael Ofushene-Wise and Global Engagement Lead Lizzy Elli, on helping businesses to embed nature into their business strategy. The panel will also feature Geoff Hamilton, Biodiversity Lead of Irish electricity provider ESB, one of the BFBI member organisations making great progress on the Strategy Track on the BFBI Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme for Irish businesses making the move to #NaturePositive. Fellow speakers include Director Nature for Tetra Pak Anni Vuohelainan, Kasha Foster, Snr Manager Nature Action for WBCSD, Marie Morgan Grebent, Nature & Biodiversity Project Lead, Decathlon, Hin Kin Lee, Group Lead For Nature, Next Energy Capital.

With Iberdrola, Sitra and the EU Business & Biodiversity Platform: https://ebns-events.com/

Registration is now closed but are you attending the summit? Reach out to connect if so!

Dr Maria Fitzpatrick – manager@businessforbiodiversity.ie
Dr Emer Ní Dhúill – Emer.NiDhuill@businessforbiodiversity.ie

Event: Join us for the Energy Transition Summit 2025

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Business For Biodiversity Ireland is partnering with the Business Post Energy Transition Summit 2025 on October 15 – bringing together key voices to discuss topics around the transition in Dublin’s Croke Park.

As noted in a recent National Economic and Social Council (NESC) report, the energy transition will not only help to address urgent environmental concerns but will also deliver substantial economic benefits through enterprise opportunities, by improving the reliability of energy supply, lowering energy costs and enabling Ireland to become a net exporter of energy.

As part of this partnership, members can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on tickets by using the promo code: energy15 at checkout: https://events.businesspost.ie/event/energy-summit/

Hosted by broadcaster Ivan Yates, the agenda will feature Tara Connolly, Programme Lead for Energy Markets and Grids, Beyond Fossil Fuel, with a keynote address on policy risks from Dr. Cathal Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, and fireside chats with Alan Rossiter, Head of Strategy & Network Development, ESB Networks and Ali Sheridan, Chair of the Just Transition Commission as well as expert panel sessions.

Sponsors of the event include BFBI Strategy Track member ESB Networks, Bord Gais Energy, Schneider Electric, BYD Energy Ireland, Certa, Hydrogen Ireland, Sustainability Online business news platform, Solar Ireland, Sandyford.com, Energy Storage Ireland, Irish Energy Storage Association and Wind Energy Ireland.

Register now and join us on the day for a chat at the BFBI exhibition stand to discuss our work helping businesses to transition to Nature Positive and connect with our Business Development Lead Dr Maria Fitzpatrick: https://energysummit.ie/

Strategy Track Workshop 3: bringing it all together

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Following on from earlier Strategy Track workshops, where we focused on the key elements of what a Nature Ambition Statement is (and why every organisation should have one!) and how to set SMART nature targets, BFBI Business Programme Lead Dr Catherine Farrell CIEEM, Trinity College Dublin, writes on the final in-person workshop of 2025 for our businesses in this track where we outlined how to bring all the different components together.

In our first workshop of the year, we outlined the need for in-depth understanding of our business impacts and dependencies on nature, and importantly, where these occur along the business value chain. Armed with insights to our value chain and following the steady guidance of the ACT-D framework  (along with resources such as the WWF Corporate Nature Targets publication, and the Science Based Targets Network framework (with lots of great resources / videos), we began to think about targets.

But, exploring the idea of targets unlocks a whole suite of ensuant questions – should our targets be based on actions or outcomes; resources applied or timeline to get there; and which part of the value chain should we focus on?

Our advice? Stop, take a deep breath and focus on one impact to start with. What could we do to enhance biodiversity at our direct operations? Could we then look further and think about procurement of raw materials – could we set a target to work with our suppliers and collaborate to reduce impacts / drivers of biodiversity loss at source?

Once we start exploring and collaborating, the innovation begins. And innovation is what drives sustainable business forward, to future proof and avoid nature related risk.

The challenge then lies in monitoring and reporting: rather than re-invent wheels take a practical approach and measure what matters, where; and build from there. In our workshop, we explored natural capital accounting methods to build information – showing how knowledge of the stocks and flows help inform decision making and importantly transition planning. Checking how we communicate these targets relative to our Nature Ambition Statement will help to keep us on course.

The team at Business for Biodiversity Ireland extend their gratitude to the Sustainable Futures team at KPMG; thanks also to our hosts Bank Of Ireland, for looking after us at their Baggot Street Head Office. As previous, we followed the guidance for the accelerator programme for businesses set out by Business for Nature under the Commit phase of their ACT-D framework.

Join the Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme for 2026! Sign up on our site or contact our Business Development Manager Dr Maria Fitzpatrick to discuss the options for your business: manager@businessforbiodiversity.ie

 

 

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

Resistance to regulatory rollback on nature laws

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Resistance is growing from the business community and civil society on EU plans to roll back recently introduced laws on corporate sustainability reporting intended to help halt and reverse the degradation of nature, amid lobbying by opposing political forces, with fingers now pointing at US involvement.

As the European Union heads into the final phase of negotiations on the Omnibus Package, it has confirmed that plans to scale back core elements are part of an upcoming trade agreement with the United States. Business For Nature reports that the new EU-U.S. tariff statement pledged that European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as well as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will be adjusted so they “do not pose undue restrictions on transatlantic trade”.

However, over 400 businesses, investors and organisations have warned that weakening CSRD and CSDDD risks undermining competitiveness and long-term growth. Signatories, including the Corporate Leaders Group and Eurosif consider that regulatory simplification can be achieved without drastically compromising on the substance of sustainability rules. Read their recommendations, including advice to retain a double materiality approach HERE.

The amended European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) draft of the ESRS is currently up for public consultation until September 29, 2025 and stakeholders – including sustainability experts, investors and national authorities – are invited to share their views. EFRAG will also organise outreach events throughout September and October to gather further feedback ahead of its final technical advice to the European Commission, due by November 30, 2025. Read the draft and amendments here and submit your thoughts via survey.

Meanwhile the European Commission is wrapping up its Call For Evidence feedback period on the matter on September 10. For those with less time or in-depth technical knowledge to review the documents who wish to express their concerns to the EC, the #HandsOfNature Campaign led by environmental groups including the European Environmental Bureau, WWF and BirdLife Europe, and in Ireland, the Irish Environmental Pillar/Irish Environmental Network and Irish Wildlife Trust have a campaign to enable concerned citizens to have their say, including an online tool with sample text you can add to or adjust to state your thoughts on keeping the regulations robust.

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

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