Companies have started paying attention to nature, but tangible action is still slow despite identified priorities to address global biodiversity loss. The emerging efforts are showing a clear trend - there are different ways companies can work to help protect and restore nature.

Businesses progressing on nature have a range of drivers, from managing impacts and building resilience to addressing compliance and stakeholder issues. For example, the investors supporting the Nature Action 100 effort are looking for companies to minimize contributions to key drivers of nature loss and to conserve and restore ecosystems at the operational level and throughout the value chain.

Further, companies are at different starting points. Those in some key sectors, such as chemicals and automotive, are considered as critical for both relying upon and impacting nature so guidance is targeted to support their actions. The location of nature impacts in a company’s value chain will affect the kind of action taken, such as beauty brand L’Occitane which uses organic certification to inform its sourcing of some key botanical ingredients.

Three brands and three starting points

While there are private sector-relevant targets outlined in the Global Biodiversity Framework to support common aims, and emerging target-setting guidance is coming from the Science Based Targets Network, many companies can decide on early steps by taking an approach based on where they are starting. For anyone needing additional support, the Planet Forward Playbook offers a simple gap assessment to identify helpful starting point(s). As demonstrated by a few companies here, there are several ways to take action on nature.

One common place to start is by expanding from a company’s existing deforestation-free sourcing efforts. Seventh Generation took this approach. Palm oil is a key ingredient in many of the brand’s personal and home care products, yet palm-based materials are high-risk for deforestation. To support this effort to reduce nature impacts, they developed a partnership with Kaleka, a local Indonesian non-profit organization, to ensure the palm from that sourcing region was deforestation-free. This also helped with transitioning to higher biodiversity and more sustainable palm growing methods. With the success of this relationship, Seventh Generation is now exploring a more rigorous set of nature targets that address the pillars of nature protection and restoration, including the planting and repair of areas within their value chain as well as the conservation of an area related to their own environmental footprint.

Another important way to get started is to connect nature to climate. For example, sustainable fashion brand Everlane developed a three-pronged sustainability program that includes contributing to a clean planet. With that program, Everlane has an ambitious climate target that includes scope 3, or supply chain aims. With the progress on understanding its supply chain for this work, Everlane was able to dive deeper and add an assessment of biodiversity risks. This nature impact assessment led to identifying key materials and locations for nature work, highlighted in its 2024 Impact Report. The brand is also using science-based tools to determine actions based on multiple indicators.

Yet another starting point for taking corporate action on nature is to work with the efforts companies have to improve traceability in supply chains. This approach is demonstrated by Sol de Janeiro, a beauty brand with its sourcing and culture rooted in Brazil. While the company was deeply aware of its connection to nature through the range of ingredients they source from the South American country, they invested in analyzing the roots of the dozens of components that make up their products. This task revealed the need to redefine their sustainable sourcing policy by enhancing awareness of the highest impact commodities in their supply chain and possible alternatives or adjustments. A day-long training of product development and procurement teams allowed the sustainability team to strengthen internal alignment on policy changes and the value of nature to the company.

These leading brands are investing time and resources to generate positive impacts across their supply chains; more can be learned here. Nature strategies have key elements including action: a materiality assessment, science-based targets, actions to achieve targets, and leadership approval of the strategy. An effective way to build a nature strategy is learning from the trials and successes of other companies and then creating momentum based on action.

To learn more alongside other nature-focused companies in 2026, consider joining Pure Strategies’ 4th annual Nature Action Forum.

This article originally appeared in Sustainable Brands on November 4, 2025. 

Image: Victor Jr Jomoc from Pixabay