CEBDS gathers information from 13 large companies that have set goals for 2030 and included biodiversity conservation in their business strategies
Rio de Janeiro, May 22, 2020 – The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) launches today a online platform which gathers and monitors private sector actions and goals for issues related to the topic, in addition to case studies, methodologies and best practices. The platform is part of the Brazilian Business and Biodiversity Initiative, with the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and the Life Institute. “Biodiversity is now considered an extremely strategic asset, including from a financial point of view, for the sustainability of businesses,” says Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS, remembering that today is World Biodiversity Day.
At this first stage, the platform brings together information from 13 large companies (Anglo American, Bayer, Boticário, BRK Ambiental, Eletrobras, Equinor, Furnas, Natura, Philip Morris, Shell, Suzano, Vale and Votorantim Cimentos), which have signed up to the Brazilian Business Commitment to Biodiversity, setting targets for 2030 and including biodiversity conservation in their business strategies.
“Joining the Commitment and setting goals represent a fundamental step, but it is not enough. This process will only be valuable to the extent that companies begin to show what they are already doing to conserve biodiversity and what their plans are for the next decade,” explains Henrique Luz, coordinator of the CEBDS Biodiversity Thematic Chamber. Through the platform, it will be possible to monitor and provide visibility to the process of meeting the goals defined by these companies within the commitment. whether with information related to measuring the impact of their activities or their dependence on environmental services.
This initiative joins a global movement of nearly 400 forward-thinking companies that understand that global economic prosperity depends on a healthy natural world and are already making commitments and taking action to conserve and restore biodiversity. Business for Nature is amplifying this movement, demonstrating the breadth and depth of ambition and action from existing businesses. World leaders have a unique opportunity in 2020 to forge an international agreement to reverse biodiversity loss, much like the 2015 Paris Agreement was for climate change. The aim is to bring a private sector voice to the negotiations, encouraging governments to adopt a new, more ambitious agreement for the post-2020 global framework, which will be agreed at the Biodiversity COP in early 2021 in China.
“Business for Nature is a global coalition of influential organisations and forward-thinking companies. Together, we demonstrate action and amplify the powerful voice of business by calling on governments to reverse nature loss. Nearly 400 companies in the Business for Nature community have already made this commitment. In doing so, they are responding to the real and significant risks they pose to economies, communities and livelihoods. But we need companies to urgently scale and accelerate efforts and demand ambitious policies to tackle the interconnected emergencies of nature, climate and people together. We must emerge from this crisis with more resilient communities and a healthier planet,” said Eva Zabey, Chief Executive of Business for Nature.
The value of standing forests
“The most interesting thing in this context is that companies realize that it is not just about the importance of environmental preservation, mitigation and compensation to contain climate change. There is a high economic potential already measured in the standing forest”, reinforces the president of CEBDS.
Recent study – published last year by the magazine Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation and endorsed by more than 407 Brazilian scientists from 79 research institutions – pointed out that the 270 million hectares of native vegetation preserved on rural properties – including unprotected areas and Legal Reserves – provide Brazil with R$6 trillion per year in ecosystem services, such as pollination, pest control, water security, rainfall production and soil quality. The services provided by natural systems have an impact on food, energy and water security; on the productivity of the agricultural chain and serve as a store and sink for carbon.
Brazil holds 20% of global biodiversity, the largest on the planet. “Combining this enormous asset with technology, adding value to the economy, is what can put Brazil in a prominent position in the new economy,” emphasizes Marina, highlighting the potential of the Amazon rainforest. A report by the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on landscape restoration indicates that one hectare of standing forest in the Amazon, for example, generates an average of R$ 3.5 thousand per year and in the Cerrado around R$ 2.3 thousand per year. In agroforestry systems, this yield can reach more than R$ 12 thousand per year. The same hectare deforested for livestock farming would yield a profit of R$ 60 to R$ 100 per year. If used for soybeans, the value would be R$ 500 to R$ 1 thousand per year.
ABOUT CEBDS
The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) is a non-profit civil association that promotes sustainable development through articulation with governments and civil society, in addition to disseminating the most current concepts and practices on the subject. Founded in 1997, it brings together around 60 of the largest business groups in the country, responsible for more than 1 million direct jobs. It represents in Brazil the network of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which has almost 60 national and regional councils in 36 countries and 22 industrial sectors, in addition to 200 business groups that operate in all continents. More information: https://cebds.org/.
PRESS CONTACTS
CEBDS
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Eduardo Nunes
debora@altercomunicacao.com.br | +55 21 98751-4902
Deborah Rolando
