Presentation of the cross-disciplinary project

As a response to the growing biodiversity crisis, the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) aims to enhancing corporate accountability and transparency in addressing environmental concerns. The directive requires companies to develop strategies, disclose and report on their impact on biodiversity and ecosystems.

For businesses to successfully navigate the complexities of the new sustainability reporting, a holistic understanding of biodiversity in a business context is crucial. We have established a cross-disciplinary network of scholars from the natural and social sciences, with the objective to facilitate collaboration and deepen our understanding of how companies can contribute to reducing biodiversity loss. Our goals include:

• Identifying key challenges and opportunities for incorporating biological metrics and principles into corporate sustainability reporting.
• Developing interdisciplinary research projects to advance the understanding of corporate nature strategies and how they interact with corporate strategy.
• Promoting knowledge exchange and capacity-building to empower stakeholders in academia, industry, and policymaking to engage effectively with biodiversity and ecosystems reporting.

By integrating biological insights into sustainability reporting frameworks, businesses can make more informed decisions about resource management, risk mitigation, and strategic planning. This not only helps companies adapt to environmental challenges but also allows them to seize emerging opportunities. Furthermore, reducing the risk of unintentional greenwashing ensures that corporate sustainability disclosures accurately reflect true biodiversity performance and commitments. Cross-disciplinary collaboration also has the potential to drive innovation. By developing novel approaches for assessing and monitoring biodiversity we can foster resilience in both natural and business ecosystems.