Camille Guez, Master in Managementstudent at ESSEC Business School, looks at the alarming global decline in biodiversity and puts the spotlight on how businesses can tackle this through concrete actions to not only reduce their environmental impact but reverse it through biomimicry and nature-inspired technological solutions

Biodiversity at a Crossroads: How businesses can lead the way to restoration by Camille Guez.

In less than 50 years, 69% of wild vertebrates have disappeared, leading to the imminent extinction of 1 million species. Ecosystems are experiencing significant disruptions: 75% of land and 66% of oceans are severely degraded, and the Amazon rainforest, the planet’s lungs, has lost 17% of its primary forests. The ecosystem services that the planet provides are essential to life on Earth: temperature and air quality regulation, natural water treatment, and soil fertility.

However, this fragile balance is being undermined by human activities, including the over-exploitation of terrestrial and marine resources, soil and water pollution, and the introduction of invasive species. In addition to affecting our living conditions, the degradation of natural capital has direct consequences on our economies: 55% of the world’s GDP depends on biodiversity’s well-being, and if nothing is done, it could decline by $2.7 trillion per year by 2030. The collapse of life is no longer a future threat; it is a tangible and urgent reality.

But how can we reverse this trend? What scale should we choose? While biodiversity loss concerns everyone, the role of businesses is particularly worth examining. “Businesses are a big part of the problem, but above all, a big part of the solution,” says Cécile Génot, Chief of Staff at the French National Office for Biodiversity, during the UN Global Compact General Assembly. Long seen as a driver of destruction, the economic world could actually be the key to restoring life, provided it fully realizes the challenge it faces.

Businesses: At the heart of both the problem and the solution 

Jochen Zeitz, former CEO of Puma, asserts that businesses, being agile and ambitious, hold the keys to restoring our environment—provided they are given the means to do so. In France, this is precisely the mission of WWF. By closely collaborating with the private sector, the NGO aims to transform practices, direct funding towards climate and biodiversity, and achieve tangible results.

To engage the entire economic fabric, from large corporations to SMEs (which represent 98% of French businesses), WWF launched the Club Entreprendre pour la Planète (Club EPP) in 2018, an initiative designed to involve companies in implementing sustainable solutions. In its white paper, the NGO provides the keys to a complete overhaul of production methods. It raises awareness of effective ways to engage all stakeholders and offers concrete methods to reduce environmental impact and contribute to restoring life.

Taking the Bull by the Horns 

To actively participate in life restoration, all businesses must fully commit to the cause and, step by step, decarbonize their activities to become more resilient, allowing ecosystems to regenerate. But where to start? First, companies need to dissect their entire value chain to analyze their direct impact on biodiversity (the Globio model, for example, can calculate the impact of businesses on ecosystems). After defining their priority areas, companies must set objectives (using the SMART method, for instance) and monitor progress.

A major challenge lies in the procurement policies for raw materials, often the primary source of biodiversity degradation in production processes, especially for industrial businesses. Some key criteria to consider include: initiating discussions with suppliers, prioritizing sustainable raw materials, limiting procurement-related deforestation impacts, certifying raw materials, relocating production for better control, and promoting resource-efficient agricultural practices.

However, successfully driving change requires more than just good intentions. Businesses must engage all their stakeholders in this endeavor. Employees, investors, customers, and partners—all must be educated and made aware of biodiversity issues to feel involved and take action. In a podcast titled “Pour que Nature vive,” Nadia Améziane, head of the Marine Biology Station in Concarneau, emphasizes the importance of involving employees in company environmental projects to prevent resistance to change.

Awareness efforts can take various forms, and many companies have already implemented initiatives. For example, the French startup Sator offers companies a license for expert-led courses, such as one by Luc Abbadie, a professor at the Sorbonne, on biodiversity. Another example: during the European Sustainable Development Week, Juratoys organized a biodiversity awareness program for employees, featuring workshops on permaculture, waste sorting, and upcycling with recycled materials. One afternoon was dedicated to the Biodiversity Fresco to deepen understanding of these issues.

Finally, beyond decarbonizing their value chains, businesses should engage in carbon offsetting initiatives. Numerous decarbonization projects contribute to life restoration, and firms specializing in connecting businesses with restoration projects are emerging. One such company, PUR, develops agroforestry and reforestation projects in collaboration with local communities. Decarbonization and compensation complement each other and serve as essential levers for all economic actors.

Drawing Inspiration from Nature to Adapt

As we have seen, businesses must rethink their activities to align with biodiversity and life preservation challenges. At the same time, some companies contribute to this collective challenge by developing technological solutions directly inspired by nature (biomimicry) and integrating them into their business models.

Take the example of EEL Energy. This startup has developed a hydropower turbine that mimics the undulation of eels. Without blades, it minimizes noise pollution, prevents collisions with marine life, and integrates into ocean currents without disrupting ecosystems. The result: a technology that is 50% more efficient and half as expensive as conventional models. Another example is Econcrete, which has created a concrete technology that fosters marine life by mimicking natural surfaces like rocks and coral reefs, enabling biological colonization—something traditional smooth concrete prevents. These technological marvels prove that corporate innovation is a powerful driver for restoring nature in all its forms.

Environmental Philanthropy: A powerful pillar 

To increase their influence and commitment, more and more companies are going beyond merely reducing their impact by actively financing ecosystem restoration. In 2020, Patagonia invested $1 million in businesses embracing regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture aims to improve soil fertility and could potentially capture up to 322 billion tons of carbon in global soils—equivalent to 30 years of global emissions. The Californian company supports farms seeking the most stringent organic label, the “Regenerative Organic Certification” (ROC).

By participating in such initiatives, businesses contribute directly to life restoration and play a key role in biodiversity preservation. Corporate engagement in biodiversity extends beyond reducing impact—it encompasses an active desire to repair and regenerate nature.

Pooling Efforts, Dialoguing, and Exchanging Ideas 

Business consortiums also represent a crucial lever for pooling expertise and strengthening efforts to protect biodiversity.

This is the goal of the “Entreprises pour l’Environnement” (EPE) program, which already brings together 190 small and medium-sized French enterprises. By fostering dialogue among them, the program enhances their visibility and enables them to find common solutions. The association launched the Act4Nature International initiative in 2018, bringing together private sector players, policymakers, NGOs, and scientists to create synergies and initiate discussions on biodiversity. Participants include major corporations like Nexity, Saint-Gobain, and Société Générale, as well as business networks like AFEP and the Alliance for Forest Preservation, and scientific communities such as the Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FBR).

These stakeholders offer complementary perspectives on corporate actions and advise companies on achieving their SMART objectives. Their collaborative efforts have already shown promising results.

A Technophile Approach—but to what Extent? 

To conclude, biodiversity loss is one of the greatest challenges of our time, threatening everything we know. While addressing it requires a whole-society approach, businesses emerge as key actors in nature restoration. but to what extent is technology the answer to all our ills?

Is it utopian to think that innovation will save us? To drive significant change, we must act “not as engineers, but as tinkerers,” as Tatiana Giraud, professor at Collège de France, puts it. Balancing economic profitability, regulatory pressures (such as CSRD), and environmental responsibility is no easy task.

Businesses must be supported by policymakers. Will governments take the necessary steps to help the entire economic sector achieve carbon neutrality by 2050? The question remains open, and only time will tell.

Click here to view a list of sources used in this article.

Useful links:

• Link up with Camille Guez on LinkedIn
• Read a related article: Investing in Biodiversity and Nature-Related Financial Disclosures
• Download this and other finalist articles in the special issue Global Voice magazine #32
• Discover ESSEC Business School France–Singapore–Morocco and apply for the MiM programme.

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