NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, May 12, 2016

The business rationale for investing in ecological restoration and nature-inspired biomimicrysolutions is coming into sharper focus. The business case is simply built on effectively and efficiently addressing core business issues. It is that straightforward.

Consider, for example, four primary business issues being addressed through investments in nature-based solutions, as laid out in a new BSR-REF Business Brief “The Benefit Multiplier of Investing in Nature,” summarized in the table below:

These cases, as well as others in the BSR-REF Business Brief and Annexes (PDF), show that a business case clearly emerges when companies consider business imperatives — sourcing of inputs, operational or supply chain challenges, real estate portfolio management — and risks or challenges.

Taking this business-imperatives view leads directly to questions about what elements of the context in which a company operates adversely could affect the firm. With this analytical frame, a range of environmental and community issues emerge as highly relevant to business — which enables decision makers to explore a greater range of risks as well as options for solving business problems or sparking innovation with associated cost savings and other benefits.