CEOs urged to push governments to reverse nature loss as a part of green recovery plans

8 lipca 2020

31 NGOs and business groups including the International Chamber of Commerce, WWF, We Mean Business, United Nations Global Compact, the IUCN and Business for Nature, with Responsible Business Forum onboard, have published a letter calling on CEOs to push governments to include ambitious policies to reverse nature loss as part of green recovery plans.

According to the World Economic Forum, over half the world’s GDP, $44 trillion of economic value, is moderately or highly exposed to risks from nature loss. The NGOs and business groups that have signed this letter say that the need to build more resilient economies and societies is now “inescapable” following the Coronavirus crisis and ask CEOs to recognize that “the natural resources and ecosystems that power your business and underpin the economies and communities you are part of are under huge strain.”

The authors of the letter recognize that many businesses have already shared and supported ideas for how to rebuild the economy and society, but urge CEOs to acknowledge that nature is the beating heart of a green recovery and the foundation to build back better. This call comes at a time where the international policy forums on nature and climate have been postponed to next year, but the issues they will focus on remain critically important today.

The letter urges CEOs to support the Business for Nature call to action to scale up their voluntary measures and urge political leaders to implement ambitious, transformative government policy so we can thrive within nature’s limits.

These asks have already received support today from Paul Polman, Co-founder of IMAGINE; Emmanuel Faber, CEO of Danone; Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever; Thomas Burbel CEO of AXA; and Roberto Marques, CEO of Natura &Co. These CEOs spoke alongside other business leaders at a global leadership event today on reversing nature loss – other leaders included, Guo Guangchang, Chairman Fosun International and Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group.

The open letter can be read here >>