Unilever, Danone & Nestlé Urge Action on Biodiversity Loss

Multinational food companies are among the estimated 130 businesses pressing global leaders to implement robust sustainability policies. 

The call to action comes under the umbrella of the Business for Nature organisation, a global coalition that brings together business, conservation organisations and forward-thinking companies.

The companies' open letter include a Biodiversity Plan, which is a roadmap for nature action. Its mission is to stop, and then reverse, biodiversity loss by 2030, by supporting healthy ecosystems and creating  ecological networks.

With the UN Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia fewer than 100 days away, these businesses are calling for immediate government action to bolster policies, incentives, legislation and regulations that foster ambitious corporate action on nature. 

Unilever, known for its wide range of consumer goods, has committed to sustainable practices and has been a vocal advocate for stronger environmental policies like working alongside smallholders to improve sourcing of palm oil.

Meanwhile Nestlé, a global food and beverage company, has been at the forefront of this environmental action movement. 

Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé’s business in Latin America, highlighted the critical importance of biodiversity, stating: “Colombia is home to 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Biodiversity loss is a critical risk we cannot ignore, and the success of our business relies on a healthy natural world.” 

Nestlé has committed to sourcing 50% of its key ingredients from farmers practising regenerative agriculture by 2030. It has also invested in biodiversity, soil conservation, and water cycle regeneration initiatives. As of 2023, 15.2% of the company's ingredients were sourced from regenerative agriculture practices.

Danone, another major food company, has also joined the call for action. The company has been actively involved in promoting sustainable agriculture and reducing its environmental footprint. 

Global challenges in the food industry from biodiversity loss

The repercussions of humanities contribution to biodiversity loss is surfacing across business world wide, causing industries like food to now face challenges encompassing everything from lack of raw material availability to ecosystem health. 

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has reported that ecosystems vital for livelihoods, food and health are deteriorating rapidly. 

Meanwhile, the Living Planet Report 2020, estimates a 68% decline in global biodiversity over the past 50 years.

The Business for Nature coalition has also expanded on its recommendations with 20 specific policy demands, including subsidy and tax reforms, a ban on deep-sea mining, the adoption of a Global Plastics Treaty and the prohibition of land conversion in key protected areas. 

These measures aim to create a nature-positive economy and ensure sustainable development.

In response to these challenges, the 130 companies have called action to world leaders and their demands include:

• Ensuring businesses and financial actors safeguard nature and restore degraded ecosystems
• Promoting sustainable resource management to mitigate environmental impacts
• Integrating nature into decision-making and disclosure processes
• Aligning financial flows towards a nature-positive, net-zero and equitable economy
• Strengthening global agreements to tackle key nature loss challenges

Eva Zabey, CEO of Business for Nature, the  global coalition that brings business and conservation organisations together, emphasised the collective effort required to drive systemic change, stating: “Businesses are uniting and calling on governments to provide the regulatory certainty they need to transform their operations and supply chains. 

“Our policy asks governments how they can make this a reality. Only through collective effort will we be able to drive the global systemic change needed for a nature-positive, net zero and equitable economy.”

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