Digital media library

Dr. Anne Guerry, Chief Strategy Officer and Lead Scientist for the Natural Capital Project, introduces the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services.

A video designed to explain how business can account for the value of nature and why this is important.

ASN Bank is a green Dutch retail bank founded in 1960. The bank is a division of de Volksbank Group which has €70 billion worth of assets under management in different asset classes including mortgages, government bonds, sustainable project financing, green bonds and investment funds. Since its foundation, the Bank has been committed to nature protection and social justice. 

The Atewa forest range in Ghana is steadily degrading. This is affecting water flows and water quality, while more than 1 million people rely on water supplied by the rivers in the forest range. IUCN NL and A Rocha Ghana aim to protect the Atewa forest for its crucial water provision function.

Iterative and high-level steps for companies as they strive to become nature positive

The University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment offers a three-minute look at what biodiversity loss is really costing

BNP Paribas is a French international finance group. . The Group is convinced that biodiversity-related risks and opportunities are significant and has been committed to preserving biodiversity for several years.

Image of Bosco Verticale residential towers in the Porta Nuova district of Milan, Italy.

Nature-based Solutions for disaster and climate resilience for business - Workshop #1

UNEP, WBCSD, IUCN and Oppla, supported by the We Value Nature campaign, delivered these workshops to provide introductory training to businesses on NbS for increasing resilience to climate and disaster risks.

Further information about the workshop series.

The Business Models Catalogue for urban nature-based solutions presents eight different business models for urban NBS. These were identified based on 54 in-depth case studies of urban NBS, both in- and outside of Europe. These models explain which values propositions can drive urban NBS funding. Importantly, by combining different models, the funding capacity for urban NBS can be increased. Download it by clicking on the picture to the left.

The natural capital story of The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s largest beverage company, demonstrates that natural capital can provide a useful lens to communicate about nature within a business context and to maximize the impact of nature-related projects.

De Nederlandsche Bank NV ( DNB ), the Dutch central bank, aims to safeguard stability of the Dutch financial sector, warn about risks that may harm the financial system as a whole and thereby contribute to sustainable prosperity in the country. They published their new sustainable finance strategy in July 2021.

EDP is a Portuguese electric utilities company that generates, transports, distributes and sells electricity. By taking a natural capital approach in the Sabor Valley, EDP identified solutions that were cheaper, created local jobs and reduced fire hazards.

At the heart of a natural capital approach is the understanding that nature underpins human health, wealth, culture, identity and happiness. A natural capital approach works to illuminate this value, and helps decisionmakers to understand the complex ways in which natural, social and economic systems interact, impact, and depend upon one another so to make better informed decisions.

This infographic links a natural capital approach to various other concepts your organisation might be more familiar with.  

The natural capital accounting story of Eosta demonstrates that getting to the step of monetization is feasible for SMEs with limited resources and shows that a small, ambitious project can gain a lot of traction.

A one-hour We Value Nature training session lead by Katia Bonga, Associate, Redifining Value (WBCSD), and Nadine McCormick, Programme Officer, IUCN Business & Biodiversity Programme. 

Nature-based Solutions for disaster and climate resilience for business - Workshop #3

UNEP, WBCSD, IUCN and Oppla, supported by the We Value Nature campaign, delivered these workshops to provide introductory training to businesses on NbS for increasing resilience to climate and disaster risks.

Further information about the workshop series.

Photograph of a flooded building. 

Grupo Argos is a Colombian conglomerate with large investments in the cement business. Grupo Argos used a Value Added Statement to better understand their relationship with natural capital and to inform decisions and risk assessments.

This project involved reducing water consumption and developing water
compensation projects in the basins of the rivers that supply water to Heineken’s
factories.

How much do we really pay for what we eat? While cheap and abundant food might be the norm, a low price tag actually comes with very heavy costs. A short video from IPES-Food

This case study is part of the INSPIA project (European Index for Sustainable Productive Agriculture), which aims to perform Best Management Practices (BMPs) in more than fifty farms located in Spain, France, Denmark and Belgium, in order to achieve agricultural sustainability.

This video explains the concept of natural capital accounting.

The natural capital story of Jerónimo Martins, a Portugal-based international group operating in the Food Distribution and Specialized Retail sectors, demonstrates that performing a natural capital assessment can be done in-house and that it can be a useful tool to inform decision-making.

LafargeHolcim Group has developed a biodiversity and ecosystem services valuation and accounting tool project associated with quarry restoration works in the Yepes-Ciruelos
quarry, located in Toledo, Spain.

Linking drivers of environmental change to natural capital and the economy

The natural capital story of METRO, a leading international specialist in food wholesale, demonstrates that a natural and social capital assessment can be a useful instrument
to assess the environmental and societal impacts and opportunities when changing to a new business model.

Facilitator notes for delivering We Value Nature Module 2 as a two hour training event. 

A natural capital stocks and flows infographic 

This Network Analysis aims to help businesses find suitable partners for collaboration. This Network Analysis provides an overview of 13 highly relevant networks for businesses in the Food and Beverage industry aiming to advancing their sustainable ambitions and putting their ambitions into action. 

What is Natural Capital Accounting - and how can it be applied by farmers to help conserve and protect nature and wildlife? Farmers know more than anyone about the importance of nature and the Natural Capital approach uses economic language to help us assess and value aspects of farmland that are often overlooked - it’s all about applying the same level of detailed accounting for nature as you would for other farm accounts. This lively animated video explains how Natural Capital Accounting in Farmland can be useful as a way to ensure that every aspect of the land and surroundings has a part to play in benefiting both people and planet. Produced by Natural Capital Ireland in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine.

Business leaders expressing their support for the Natural Capital Protocol. 

The Protocol Framework infographic covers four stages, “Why”, “What”, “How”, and “What Next”. Protocol Stages are further broken down into nine Steps, which contain specific questions to be answered when carrying out a natural capital assessment.

This short film demonstrates how important it is to value your company’s relationship with nature. You’ll also see how some businesses are already leading the way.

An infographic showing the relationship between nature and the economy and their impacts and dependencies on one another.

This diagram shows how nature-based solutions and natural capital interact. It is based on the diagram from the Natural Capital Protocol that shows how the stock of natural capital provides a flow of ecosystem services that create value for business and society. Abiotic services are not included in the diagram. The base of the diagram shows how nature-based solutions are developed in response to societal challenges. Nature-based solutions increase the stock of natural capital by creating or enhancing the condition of ecosystems and biodiversity, which in turn increases the flow of ecosystem services and the value that helps to meet the societal challenges.

"The global business community can be a powerful force to drive action for nature - find out why we are confident that change is possible. Our Planet: Our Business, a new film for business inspired by the Netflix series Our Planet."

An agenda for participants laying out the timings and topics of the one hour We Value Nature module 1 training. 

These action cards assist professionals in the position of Sustainability Manager, CEO, CFO, Procurement Officer or Farmer to become more effective and deliver more impact.

These cards have been developed for the Food and Beverage sector. 

A copyright-free photograph of of a green tree crown.

A copyright-free photograph of city trees.

A copyright-free photograph of leaves

Infographic to show the review process of the drivers of environmental change, the state of natural capital assets in the relevant region and links to ecosystem service provision, leading to newly uncovered risk.

Risks and risks responses game designed for the We Value Nature training.

Example risks & opportunities for business valuing nature. 

Robeco, a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation, is an international asset manager offering a range of active investments, from equities to bonds.  Robeco recognizes the financial risks of biodiversity loss and actively engages to 
mitigate the negative impact of deforestation in the global supply chains.

An infographic showing how a single driver of environmental change can have material impacts on a number of different industries through many combinations of asset, service and production process. 

A  PowerPoint slide deck for delivering We Value Nature Module 1 as a full day training event. 

A  PowerPoint slide deck for delivering We Value Nature Module 1 as a one hour training event. 

A  PowerPoint slide deck for delivering We Value Nature Module 1 as a two hour training event. 

A video on Impact Valuation, which is an approach that measures and values impact to understand whether society is better or worse off as a result of a company’s operations around the world.

Sonae Arauco is one of the world’s leading suppliers of wood-based solutions, manufacturing raw, decorative and construction wood products. Influenced by external trends and strategic imperatives, Sonae Arauco made the decision to more to a circular natural capital model. Today, Sonae Arauco’s approach to circular natural capital has four pillars: sustainable forestry and sourcing responsibly, circularity, natural capital conservation and restoration, and innovation.

Speaking notes for delivering We Value Nature Module 1 as a one hour training event. 

ASN Bank is the largest and oldest sustainable bank for consumers in the Netherlands. ASN Bank focuses on consumer banking and socially responsible and sustainable investments. Roel Nozeman, Senior Advisor Biodiversity, spoke with We Value Nature on how ASN Bank measure investments for sustainability and for their impacts on biodiversity. Roel Nozeman explains how ASN Bank rely on nature and why valuing nature makes business sense. 

METRO is a leading food wholesaler which operates across 34 countries. In 2015 Metro conducted sustainability accounting to compare their traditional business model of cash and carry with a food service distribution model. They followed up in 2018 with a study to measure the social, ecological and economic impact of their business model. We Value Nature spoke with Veronika Pountcheva, Global Director – CSR, on METRO’s natural capital journey and how to have conversations about natural capital with different people in your organization.

SeaExpert is a fisheries services and consultancy company that was created to support artisanal fishing in the Azores Islands and quickly extended its activities across the Atlantic Ocean. SeaExpert supply seaweed for the cosmetic and biotech industries and for animal feed scientific research. SeaExpert General manager Henrique Ramon talked to We Value Nature about SeaExpert’s sustainability approach and the importance of measuring and reporting on your impact on nature. 

Vattenfall is a European energy company with approximately 20,000 employees. For more than 100 years it has electrified industries and supplied energy to people’s homes. Vattenfall’s goal is to enable fossil free living within one generation. We Value Nature spoke with Helle Herk-Hansen, Vice-president Environment and Thomas Olsson, Senior Environmental Advisor and Karolina Carlström. The Vattenfall team discussed natural capital journey, including measuring biodiversity impacts and why a natural capital approach is essential for long-term profitability.

Verstegen Spices & Sauces is a family-owned business. They are using blockchain technology to let end users experience where products come from and geodata to help farmers optimize their production. Marianne Van Keep, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Tom Kools, Project Manager Agroforestry & Sustanability, talked about their sustainability approach and integrating their sustainability approach with marketing, procurement and sales. 

An infographic showing that disruption risk arises when environmental change affects nature's ability to provide goods and services on which the economy depends. 

Nature-based Solutions for disaster and climate resilience for business - Workshop #2

UNEP, WBCSD, IUCN and Oppla, supported by the We Value Nature campaign, delivered these workshops to provide introductory training to businesses on NbS for increasing resilience to climate and disaster risks.

Further information about the workshop series.

An illustration of the value of a natural capital approach and the ways in which natural, social and economic systems interact, impact and depend upon one another.

An infographic helping to visualise the natural capital landscape. 

The Protocol offers a standardised framework to identify, measure and value impacts and dependencies on natural capital.

This WBCSD video explores the value of food when social, human and natural capital is accounted for.

The We Value Nature pilot project in Cabo de Gata – Níjar aimed to demonstrate how stronger collaboration between the private and public sector can enable new market-based and non-market-based opportunities for valuing nature.

Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, Holcim, shares Holcim’s four pillars for creating sustainable value.

As part of the valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making online training course Pedro Alexandre Martins, Innovation and Sustainability Sr. Manager at Liv Up discussed how Live Up have used our capital assessment to integrate social, human and natural capitals together with financial capital.

As part of the valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making online training course Sonja Haut, Head of Strategic Measurement and Materiality discussed the Novartis impact valuation approach

As part of the valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making online training course Ria Bakshi, Lead Finance for sustainability at Olam Food Ingredients (OFI) discussed Olam's natural capital accounting journey. 

As part of the valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making online training course Liz Barber, CEO at Yorkshire Water discussed how Yorkshire Water adopted a capitals approach to better understand and manage their impacts and dependencies.

A warm up exercise for a training event. Participants map environmental impacts along the value chain of a luxury fashion company .

We Value nature training slide deck developed for the finance sector. The training content has been tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the sector.

A shortened version of the We Value nature training slide deck developed for the finance sector. The training content has been tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the sector.

A break down of the natural capital journey into smaller, more achievable steps. This theory of change guides the We Value Nature project. Read more about the natural capital journey. 

A break down of the natural capital journey into smaller, more achievable steps. This poster is used in training events to help participants place themselves on the uptake pathway.  Read more about the natural capital journey. 

An introduction to natural capital, what it is and why it’s important for businesses.

A short text summary of what a natural capital approach is and its main features. 

Former IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre explains why governments, companies, environmental organizations and each one of us must work together to value and invest in the planet's natural wealth.

Image summarising natural capital in terms of stocks, flows and value. 

Why Dow values nature. This video was first shown at the IUCN Congress CEO Summit on 3 September 2021.

Masaya Futamiya on why Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation values nature. This video was first shown at the IUCN Congress CEO Summit on 3 September 2021.

Tristan Lecomte, President at PUR Projet on why PUR Project values nature. This video was first shown at the IUCN Congress CEO Summit on 3 September 2021.

Mr. Ngo Van Tu explains why TH Group values nature. This video was first shown at the IUCN Congress CEO Summit on 3 September 2021.

Alan Jope, Unilever Chief Executive Officer on why Unilever values nature. This video was first shown at the IUCN Congress CEO Summit on 3 September 2021.

Willis Towers Watson ( WTW ) is a global advisory, broking and solutions company. Their purpose is to create clarity and confidence today for a more sustainable tomorrow ; in the case of nature-related issues they recognise the need for wide collaboration, working with policy makers, local communities and other conservation and finance institutions

Participant workbook including useful resources and space for reflection and note-taking.