About the author
Nikki Mattei is an experienced Chartered Marketer with the past 15 years spent in ethical marketing. She empowers businesses to discover their purpose in harmony with their existing brand personality. This enables her to work with marketing teams to seamlessly weave sustainability into their marketing plans. In a way which resonates authentically with all their stakeholders, both B2C and B2B, and makes best use of their existing budgets and channels.
I’m delighted to be writing this article for Dazzle as biodiversity is a subject which fascinates me. The more I delve in, the more I realise how critical it is as part of the solution to the impacts of climate change. But also for the essence of our lives as human beings.
To me as a sustainability marketer, nature offers such amazing ways to engage with audiences, both B2B and B2C. With a different style of messaging about the need to save the planet.
In this article, I intend to explore the following:
- What exactly does biodiversity mean?
- Why is biodiversity an intrinsic part of climate solutions?
- Why is it important for businesses?
- How do you measure your impact on nature?
- How do you use nature to communicate sustainability?
- Is 2025 the year for nature?
What is biodiversity and why is it important for life on earth?
The term “biodiversity” literally means the variety of species living on the earth including plants, animals, bacteria, fungi – and humans. You can look at biodiversity across the whole planet or you can look at one ecosystem in, say, a particular part of the world.
Most people understand that many species are under threat from a number of factors, including climate change, habitat loss and deforestation. The World Wildlife Fund’s most recent Living Planet index showed that average wildlife populations have declined by 73% in 50 years. The report also highlighted how close we are to global irreversible tipping points, such as melting polar icesheets and the decline of the Amazon rainforest.
From a more visceral perspective, most humans feel some connection to the natural world. In fact, many say it is time for us to see ourselves as part of nature rather than its master. For millennia, creatives have taken inspiration from the colours, shapes and textures of nature. You only have to look at fashion collections, for example. On this year’s spring/summer designer catwalks, one of the trends was the inclusion of creatures like dolphins and doves gracing fabrics and accessories. Poets and writers look to nature as their muse and we all felt a deeper connection during the pandemic.
Why is biodiversity an intrinsic part of climate solutions?
I have always viewed sustainability as three connected parts: the reduction of carbon emissions, protection of the natural world and respecting people.
In recent years, there has been a clear focus on climate change and global warming. Global temperatures reached 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024. Consequently, there is no doubt that reducing carbon emissions is an urgent priority. However, that does not mean that nature and people are of secondary importance. Everything is connected. This can be seen in the rise of nature-based solutions (read more below). Furthermore, people need to be engaged if we are to facilitate and adopt the transformations needed.
The natural world has been playing a vital role in keeping greenhouse gas emissions in check. For example, our oceans have been absorbing carbon dioxide and heat for millennia. But now they are under threat with warming seas and loss of marine life. How long can our oceans go on protecting the planet if we continue to pollute them?
Trees, particularly in rainforests, absorb carbon dioxide and affect global weather patterns. However, we are seeing mass deforestation, which also destroys habitats for wildlife. Not to mention loss of livelihoods for indigenous peoples.
Modern intensive agriculture is also depleting soils which sequester carbon whilst destroying pollinators like bees through the mainstream use of pesticides.
It’s clear to see how biodiversity is intrinsically connected to solving climate change. We hear increasingly how preserving the natural world offers “nature-based solutions”. Here are a few examples:
- Regenerative agriculture to improve soils and biodiversity
- Rewilding to bring plants, flora and fauna back to an area
- Reforestation to reverse the effects of deforestation
- Establishing mangrove forests as a buffer against rising sea levels
An important point to remember is that indigenous peoples have been living with nature for millennia. They have the answers and finally their voices are starting to be heard through successful law cases.
Why is biodiversity important for business?
From a commercial perspective, the natural world provides resources (often referred to as natural capital) that are used by a business to create the product or service it offers. These include water, soil, wood from trees, air, pollinators for crops, minerals and precious metals. In recent times, these natural resources have been viewed as “free”. However, that approach has come at the cost of ecosystems. For example, in certain parts of the world, there are no pollinators for crops and soil has become degraded due to high chemical use and deforestation.
Encouragingly, this approach towards nature is changing. Many businesses are viewing natural resources as a valuable asset and understanding that it is in their interests to protect them. PwC research shows that US$58 trillion or more than half of the world’s total GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services.
Here are some specific examples of trailblazers, in beauty, fashion and tourism – three of my own sectors of expertise.
Faith in Nature
In April 2023, personal care brand, Faith in Nature was the first business to set up a place on the Board for Nature. This was born from a belief that nature has rights – like humans do. In fact, recently certain parts of nature such as rivers have been recognised as legal persons. The Board here have realised that only thinking of profit is actually short-sighted when you’re a business that relies on natural resources and the survival of ecosystems.
Kering group
In the fashion world, Kering group owns labels such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. It created its first biodiversity policy in 2020 as part of its overall sustainability strategy. The group has become a visionary leader for the rest of the industry. One of the measures in place tracks their impact on biodiversity in its cotton supply chain. This is so important as cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world as well as needing huge volumes of water.
L’Occitane
L’Occitane is a French beauty brand which sources a lot of its ingredients from plants and herbs. As such, it understands the importance of protecting soil health and biodiversity. They also recognise the consumer demand for more natural products which contain less chemicals. They introduced their nature positive strategy in 2021, which includes a programme of actions which impacts its whole value chain.
Bawah Resort
It has always been clear to me that the tourism industry has a unique opportunity to be involved in biodiversity. As tourism has increased exponentially over the past decade and looks set to continue (predicted to reach US $800 billion by 2028), there are significant sustainability impacts. Of course, the first that comes to mind is the rise in carbon emissions from transport. However, there are also biodiversity consequences from construction, operations and traveller behaviours.
I’ve discovered some inspirational examples of hotels becoming guardians of the natural world. One of my favourites is Bawah Resort in the Anambas archipelago in Indonesia. The hotel was constructed with minimal impact on the landscape using traditional methods and no machinery. The archipelago where it is situated is a protected area. Bawah has established its own marine conservation foundation to support these efforts. A societal spin-off from this is the decision Bawah took to train the former fishermen in organic agriculture. With their usual livelihood affected, the fishermen now have another way of earning. Particularly, as the hotel buys its vegetables from these growers and they also sell in local markets.
How do you measure your impact on biodiversity?
Identifying, monitoring and measuring your carbon emissions is hard but there are countless platforms and consultancies to help you do that. When it comes to measuring your impact on the natural world and biodiversity, that is a lot more challenging. However, from a communications point of view, I believe it is often a more relatable message as part of your brand purpose. As humans, we do have an intrinsic connection with nature. If you asked consumers whether they would rather buy products made from natural ingredients rather than chemicals, most would say “yes”. This is without considering cost for the buyer. The reason why mainstream food products are cheaper than their organic counterparts is clear. The former do not incur a cost for their use of natural capital. They can “take for free” and not pay for the damage they are doing to biodiversity.
As I mentioned from the outset, I am really drawn to the biodiversity part of sustainability. Probably because of the human connection I’ve mentioned but also the fact that there is still so much to learn. For this reason, I did a training course set up by the Capitals Coalition, called “Valuing nature and people to inform business decision making”. I learnt so much and discovered some great case studies. Here are some of my key takeaways:
- Start by understanding the dependencies of your business on nature
- Decide the value of natural capital to your business, ie what would you do without it?
- Agree the aspects you wish to consider when you start to measure: economic, social, environmental, cultural or spiritual
- Choose the most relevant measurement criteria for your business: qualitative, quantitative or financial (or a combination).
ESG is now a well-used phrase but it does not specifically include biodiversity. You could say it comes under “E” for environmental but most view this as carbon reduction or offsetting.
However, I will always say “don’t decide not to consider biodiversity in your business decisions just because you can’t accurately measure it yet.” I know great examples of businesses who are very involved in protecting and regenerating biodiversity but have not found the right way to measure yet. This does not mean that the contribution is not valuable. The more businesses who start, the more focus will be put on to measurement. You’ve only got to look at the explosion in carbon footprint calculators and ESG platforms over the past five years!
Use nature to communicate sustainability
As I’ve alluded to in this article, I really believe that we can change our messaging on sustainability to communicate in a different way. To most people, they have experienced the effects of climate change but they don’t think they can do anything about it. Apart from using less energy. We cannot actually see greenhouse gases. It is a nebulous concept.
When it comes to nature, we can see it. We see plastic on beaches and notice less wildlife in our gardens. Being involved in protecting the natural world is an uplifting and emotional experience. It’s a lot more fun too! It brings beauty and inspiration into our lives.
What I’ve learnt in the way I live my own life is that what is better for people is better for the planet. One of the 2025 consumer trends is the desire to live longer and healthier lives. We can help consumers do that by leaning into this mindset and empowering people to protect their own health whilst respecting the health of the natural world. This provides the “feel good factor” on so many levels. It shows them that we are part of the same ecosystem – a part of nature not its master.
Is 2025 the year for nature?
To finish, I feel optimistic about the future. On a global level, the importance of nature as part of the solution to a resilient future is rising. From a UN perspective, we have different COPs for climate change and biodiversity. However, the connection between the two is growing and the media are taking notice of biodiversity news and progress. The Biological Diversity COP is now taking place every year rather than every other year. And the last one in November 2024 in Colombia was extended to this February in Italy. It resulted in a landmark $200 billion annual funding for nature agreed for developing nations.
There have been other important agreements such as the Global Plastics Treaty but we do need a legally binding framework on biodiversity. Initiatives such as The Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as well as Business for Nature are uniting businesses to work together for a nature-positive approach. No doubt, we are going in the right direction but we do need to speed up despite (and because of) current geopolitical tensions.
I am an avid listener of the “Outrage and Optimism” podcast and there are several episodes which explore biodiversity – I highly recommend taking a listen. I also subscribe to Positive News and discover countless amazing examples of nature-based solutions. Lastly, the knowledge of indigenous communities is being recognised as we start to truly understand how they have always lived in harmony with nature.
