What do companies actually want from biodiversity? What might motivate them to invest in nature?
To answer this we first have to break away from the illusion that companies make decisions. Companies don't make decisions, people do.
Companies aren't giant concrete machines, they're collectives of people who are all trying to achieve a common goal. For the most part my experience has been that these goals are genuinely meaningful, there are companies striving to provide nutritious food, ensure everyone can afford decent clothing or provide services upon which society depends.
Having spent the first part of my career in academia and conservation this was initially quite a surprise to me. I had assumed from the public discourse that companies pursue profit alone, however my experience at Biodiversify has been that purpose, values and culture are powerful drivers. As the saying goes, "culture eats strategy for breakfast".
As with anything subjective there are always going to be multiple interpretations of a company's purpose, and as with any group of people there will always be differing views. Generally we start our collaborations with clients when an individual (or small group) decides that it's worth exploring whether taking action for nature fits within this greater purpose.
Systematic change generally starts small.
We then invest in that small team to understand how nature fits within the company purpose and values. This is deeply bespoke, the variations between companies are vast, it could be about anything from supporting women who depend on local forests to forage, to responsible risk management, to fundamentally just wanting to "solve the biodiversity crisis". A key part of this is understanding how to work with the internal culture to build the case.
Critically we are striving to understand how a company might benefit from improving their relationship with nature by respectfully listening and learning. We are NOT just providing a standardised solution, we are meeting companies on their own terms and then empowering individuals to drive for positive changes.
These changes must align with the organisational purpose, ultimately the company needs to see a benefit. This doesn't just boil down the bottom line though, there are always far more nuanced benefits that are going to be commercially relevant.
Basically, figuring out the business relevance of nature is complex and massively variable. The conservation sector is going to make much more progress if we respect the fact that our colleagues in the private sector are also working towards greater objectives and meet them halfway. Now is a key time for decision scientists, systems experts and internal champions to get involved and catalyse this process.
We cannot just expect the businesses to learn about biodiversity, we also have to learn about business.