Natural capital

DEFINITION: The elements of the natural environment that provide valuable goods and functions such as clean air, clean water, food and recreation. Natural capital accounting puts a value on these resouerces. Each year, the planet produces up to $72trn worth of 'free' goods and services that are essential to a well-functioning global economy.

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The projects will receive funding and assistance to develop business plans with the aim of attracting additional private sector investment

Defra backs natural capital investment projects

Four projects focused on protecting and restoring natural habitat across the UK are being backed by Government funding as part of a pilot scheme to funnel more private sector investment into the natural environment.
Both internally and externally the tools are being developed and a movement is emerging to kickstart a new era of sustainable business.

Chief value officers and ESG investors: What could green finance look like in the new normal?

Whatever the new normal looks like once nations have battled their way through the coronavirus, the recent rhetoric around green finance suggests that both internally externally, the value of sustainability to a business is set to grow.
Yorkshire Tea worked with TIST (The International Small Group and Tree Planting Programme) to encourage smallholder tea farmers to plant fruit and nut trees around tea gardens

Yorkshire Tea achieves carbon-neutral certification for operations and products

Yorkshire Tea has announced that all its products are carbon neutral from field to shelf, following a five-year programme to reduce emissions across its supply chain and operations.
The charities are asking for additional short-term emergency funding to cover costs for vital work.

Coronavirus: Environmental charities braced for long-term financial turmoil

Nature and conservation charities have expressed concern that the Government's £750m aid package for charities will not be enough to stop the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak from stifling efforts to tackle climate change and protect nature over the coming years.
Verde Nieto is a globally recognized figure in the sustainability field, having been trained by Al Gore at the Alliance of Climate Change

Positive Luxury: In the 'year of nature', greenwashing and incremental improvements won't cut it

EXCLUSIVE: As businesses strive to tackle the intertwined climate and resource crises, they must place nature and biodiversity at the centre of all financial considerations in 2020, a new forecast featuring input from Paul Polman, WWF and Paul Hawken warns.
The aim is to funnel more investment into projects working to minimise fashion's negative impacts on people and planet. 

Fresh funding for initiative to help investors support sustainable fashion

Laudes Foundation, Brenninkmeijer family's recently-launched philanthropic organisation, has backed a project working to engage investors with sustainable fashion, in a bid to scale up low-carbon, resource-efficient materials and business models across the global sector.
Most of the costs will be caused by the loss of natural coastal protection services, which in turn will lead to increased flooding 

Nature loss to rock global economy by £8trn by 2050

The UK is set to take an annual economic hit of at least £16bn through the destruction of natural ecosystems, with global costs set to spiral to almost £8trn by 2050, a new WWF report has warned.
The Coalition represents more than 50 organisations, including businesses, NGOs and think tanks 

Green Economy Tracker: New digital tool aims to help nations transition to greener economic systems

The Green Economy Coalition - an alliance of big-name businesses, NGOs and researchers - has today (23 January) unveiled a new tool which will help nations measure and accelerate their transitions to economic systems which are more environmentally friendly and socially fair.
Flooding has caused havoc across the UK over the last few months

Flooding and coastal damages risking £12bn to UK economy

Rising sea levels, storms and flooding driven by climate change has placed more than £12bn of the UK's economy at risk, according to new findings from WWF which warns that almost 2.5 million homes in the UK will be at risk of flooding by 2050.
The challenge calls for businesses to invest in “nature-based solutions” such as enhancing biodiversity and reforestation to act as carbon sinks

Gucci boss calls on business leaders to deliver net-zero supply chains

Gucci chief executive Marco Bizzarri has called on business leaders to sign up to a Carbon Neutral Challenge that sees businesses deliver greenhouse gas emissions reductions across their entire value chain in order to achieve net-zero emissions.
Gough believes that corporates must make capitals thinking a core foundation for business decisions, rather than keeping it within a trial or side-project

'To truly embed sustainability, businesses must redefine value itself'

EXCLUSIVE: As ever more companies strive for sustainability which stretches beyond the confines of a separate CSR department, they will need to explore ways to define success beyond monetary value.
The Government has unveiled how it plans to leave the environment in a better state 

Deposit return schemes and biodiversity net-gain: Raft of new policies unveiled in Environment Bill

The UK Government has launched its new governance system on issues covering clean air, waste management and plastics pollution, natural capital approaches and water stewardship, in the form of the long-awaited Environment Bill. 
The report comes as climate demonstrations continue across the UK. Image: Extinction Rebellion

UK needs sustainability act to avert economic collapse, says IPPR

Britain needs an overarching new sustainability law to bolster natural life-support systems and prevent economic and social collapse, according to proposals from one of the country's most influential left-wing think tanks.
UN General Assembly in New York

UN launches Green Finance Platform to improve banks and business interactions

The UN's Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) has launched two new platforms to improve the dialogue and actions between the finance sector and businesses in order to accelerate the growth of green finance.
The Environment Secretary will also use today’s speech to build on the swelling notion of addressing the climate emergency Image: Chatham House

Michael Gove backs comprehensive 'all-in' deposit return system for plastics

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has publicly backed a deposit return system for plastic containers, irrespective of size, while also warning that time is running out to avert the climate emergency.
The natural capital costs associated with the crystal was found to be markedly lower than diamond, gold and silver

Swarovski turns to natural capital accounting to measure environmental impact

Jewellery giant Swarovski has calculated the monetary value of the natural resources used to produce its namesake crystals, in a move towards its overarching aim to supply "the world's most transparent crystal".