Business networks in 24 countries pledge immediate action to halt the deterioration of Nature and the loss of biodiversity
Lisbon, 15 October 2019 – Today, during the annual Council Meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), 24 CEO-led business organizations, and Global Network partners of WBCSD, representing about 2,000 companies, have launched the Lisbon Declaration, a joint initiative to support business action and commitment at scale towards addressing the challenges biodiversity faces today.
A strong business voice is critical to drive the change needed at a global level, these business organizations commit to work with their member companies to set out concrete and time-bound actions that will produce a real impact in the preservation of biodiversity at a local level. The initiative act4nature will serve as important inspiration for each local commitment: it was launched by EpE (also a signatory of the Lisbon Declaration) in France in July 2018, and signed by 65 companies.
Most signatories will also join the Business for Nature global coalition that will unify and simplify the leading business voices towards the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 15 next year, through a dedicated feedback regarding local companies’ recommendations to constructively contribute to the political debate and bring the forward-thinking businesses’ perspective on the policy changes needed to address the nature crisis. The signatories will also build on the growing expectation that CBD COP 15 will achieve a global agreement on nature, just as UNFCCC COP 21 did for climate with the Paris Agreement. This global coalition hosted by WBCSD, brings together influential organizations such as the World Economic Forum, WWF, We Mean Business, Natural Capital Coalition, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), World Resources Institute and others.
Tomás Sercovich, CEO of Business in the Community Ireland said: “At Business in the Community Ireland, we understand the foundational role of the environment in social and economic sustainability which is why we think business has a role to play in ensuring the protection, restoration and sustainable use of nature. Therefore, we are proud to have signed the Lisbon Declaration.”
The signatories from 24 countries – Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and USA – represent a total of about 2,000 companies, with an estimated total of six million employees.
The launch of the Lisbon Declaration took place in Lisbon, during WBCSD’s Council Meeting, an annual event for members and partners that convenes over 400 business and sustainability leaders, as well as business councils from all over the world that represent WBCSD’s Global Network.
For more information on Business for Nature, please see here.
This initiative by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development is closely aligned with the work of Business in the Community Ireland. Biodiversity is one of the many areas we support business with under the environmental pillar. Check out the recent Biodiversity for Business Handbook and an article on the business case for biodiversity.
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