business - european...

12 - 15 June 2007, Brussels

Business commitments for the environment – building

partnership between business and biodiversity

Topics:

1. Introduction2. Scope3. Goal4. What is desired / not desired5. Development o an EU Platform6. Main gains for Business / Biodiversity7. Main future milestones for the Project8. Feedback from stakeholders

(Business Conf. / NGO’s / M.States)9. Lisbon B@B Conference10. Ongoing partnerships

Business & Biodiversity

Building Partnerships:Linking business to

Biodiversity(EU B@B Initiative)

Preparation of the Portuguese EU Presidency 2007

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Institute

COM – Directorate General Environment

João MenezesICNB

Biodiversity shows high levels of recognition and European public opinion priority.

But Biodiversity has not been receiving the necessary and desired relevance in the business community.

Business &Biodiversity

1. INTRODUCTION

Biodiversity is at a fast and continuous loss

…..……..……..……..…but…


2/16Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Institute


Countdown 2010 - a network of partners willing to help governments, the public

and other bodies to work for this common target.

1. INTRODUCTION (cont.)

Steps towards the 2010 target require the development of mechanisms between Business and Biodiversity (B@B) –nowadays with fragile contact points – language/ attitude/ culture/management mechanisms …

For that, there is a need for defining guidelines structuring this integration and by doing so we are also contributing to position biodiversity as a master bean with the other two main targets of the Lisboa Agenda, the economic and social ones.





Portugal (in the Portuguese Presidency on the second semester of 2007) assumed this B@B integration as one of its priority goals in the environment area.

2. SCOPE Business & Biodiversity




This project, is in the agenda of the Triple Presidency (Germany/Portugal/ Slovenia – 2007/08) and will be led by a partnership between Portugal and the European Commission.

This initiative should also have strong links to the preparatory process of:

CBD - COP9 (Spring 2008)IUCN meeting in Barcelona (Autumn 2008)

This initiative, in the scope of the European Union but with global impact, aims at creating a reference/recognition framework – supported by a EU platform - for collaboration and interaction between the two systems:

Business & Biodiversity (B@B).

3. GOAL Business & Biodiversity




Develop entrepreneurial Voluntary Agreements that allow the introduction of such topics in the companies’government systems and the assumption of responsibility towards Biodiversity (and that may lead to the definition of agreements with the initiative aiming for the interaction of the two systems involved – B@B).

4. WHAT IS DESIRED? Business & Biodiversity




4. WHAT IS DESIRED? (cont.) Business & Biodiversity




Some basics:• The engagement and actions must go beyond current legal

requirements and should be of a voluntary nature.• The initiative should built upon and be synergetic with on-

going actions at the local, national, regional or global level; the initiative should look to medium/long-term partnerships.

• The initiative should recognize the importance of business good-practices.

• The process must be based on a group of principles:Establishment of a regional platform (European) with recognitionand benchmarking capacity, that strengthens and spreads the knowledge, assures the fidelity of the concept, its consistency and reliability, and guarantees the biodiversity audit/accounting components;

Long term partnerships between companies, conservation authorities and NGOs through the development of interaction mechanisms and action plans.

4. WHAT IS NOT DESIRED?

Develop more directives, regulations or norms.

Develop more administrative and bureaucratic procedures.

Duplicate EU existing programs and work already in process world wide.

Just more meetings and conferences.





The identification of the Business sectors could be based on an assessment of how different businesses can contribute to the actions and the attainment of the objectives of the Biodiversity Action Plan in order to ensure the added value both in the EU context and worldwide.

An EU B@B platform would be created with the task of engaging Business sectors in the development sector specific frameworks relating to Biodiversity protection.

5. DEVELOPMENT OF AN EU PLATFORM (possible model) Business & Biodiversity

These include: benchmarking best practices;the development of sector specific biodiversity audit/ accounting components;sector specific elements for inclusion in existing actions;sector specific monitoring;recording and oversight protocols.




Minimising the risk to operate.

Increasing the strength of the Supply Chain – assure the origin and the integrity of the product flows.

Improving the quality of the relationship with all stakeholders (e.g. local communities, consumer organizations, etc.).

Improving the image perceived by consumers and markets.

Attracting social responsible investors.

Developing an organisational environment with impacts on workers productivity.

6. MAIN GAINS FOR BUSINESS

Changing the present field situation when it comes to the protection of species, habitats and ecosystems, as well as landscapes and the communities in these landscapes.

Changing the relationship between Preservation of Nature/Biodiversity and the Society, particularly the business world.

MAIN GAINS FOR BIODIVERSITY




7. MAIN FUTURE MILESTONES for the Project

Preparation of the Portuguese EU Presidency 200711/16

First semester / 2007

Work meetings and contacts with companies and NGOs to design and develop the project.

Preparation Meetings

MemberStates

NGOs

Companies and Business Confederations

Green Week, debate session

7 28 29

March June

Second semester / 2007

Finishing the concept of this initiative

Conference in Lisbon on Business & Biodiversity

12 - 13

November

Presen-tation the initiative to the second semester 2007 EU Council.

Implemen -tation of the initiative, monitoring and follow up of actions and event connecting B&B

2008

MemberStates

April


Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Institute


23

8. FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS(Business Conf. / NGO’s / M.States)


Business representatives - Some developments are welcome on:• Its scope and content;• The targets and possible modalities of operation of the planned platform;• The measurement of progress towards the 2010 target at the sector / company level;• Further stakeholders consultation as well as bilateral dialogue.

NGO´s representatives – Some developments are welcome on:• The planned charter to kick-start;• The targets and operational details of the envisaged platform to manage it;• Concerns on the capacity of the MS to take over the full operational phase;• Expressed strong interest and willingness to cooperate.

MS Contact Group - Welcomed EU level action because:• Can be good example for MS, a driver for national action;• Development a space for inter action and cooperation;• EU good in setting common standards for recognition;• Visibility / communication + sharing experience.




9. LISBON B@B CONFERENCE Business & Biodiversity

I) First Plenary and round table sessions

• European biodiversity commitments and business

• The 2010 business challenge

III) Second Plenary and round table sessions

• Business perspectives on biodiversity challenges: What should the EU do?

• Towards an EU initiative on biodiversity & business

• Roundtable on next steps for Europe on biodiversity

II) Workshop sessions

• First workshop sessions: Where are we now?

• Second workshop sessions: What are the priority challenges and opportunities?

• Third workshop sessions: Moving to Action - What should the EU do?

Framework I (tbc)




12 and 13 November

9. LISBON B&B CONFERENCE (Nov. 12/13) (cont.)

Framework II (tbc)

• BEBOP• FSC• MSC• IFOAM• MAC• MMSD ECNC, Banking

Initiative• Katoomba Group

Earthwatch Institute (Europe)’s Corporate Environmental Responsibility Group

• WWF’s business and industry programmes in Europe

• FFI’s business partnerships

• Biodiversity-friendly agriculture

• Biodiversity-friendly forestry and non-timber forest products

• Biodiversity-friendly carbon

• Biodiversity-friendly watershed services

• Biodiversity offsets• Biodiversity

management services• Biodiversity-friendly

tourism and recreational hunting and fishing

• Corporate biodiversity assessments

• Industry-wide biodiversity assessments

• Landscape-level biodiversity indicators

• Accountability and reporting

• Corporate social responsibility Strategic

• environmental assessment

• Social and environmental accreditation and labelling schemes

• Socially responsible investment

• Corporate philanthropy• Environmental

Management and Audit Scheme

Workshop DBusiness and biodiversity partnerships

Workshop CMarkets for biodiversity goods and services

Workshop BBusiness-related biodiversity indicators

Workshop ABiodiversity-related responsibility schemes




• Evaluation of the business potential related to Biodiversity. To be developed by the research unit of the Bank;

• Development of micro-finance products related to biodiversity suitable to small-scale businesses;

• Adoption of concrete management actions for the conservation of three priority species in a property of the economic group;

• An annual award for research and innovating initiatives concerning biodiversity, business and innovation.

10. Ongoing partnerships some examples Business & Biodiversity

financial sector

BESEspirito Santo bank

15/16

cement industry

SECIL

product./ distribution of energy

EDP

tourism, distribution, industry

SONAE

• Reorientation of the manufacturing plans and recovery of the quarries of the group as part of biodiversity management;

• Contribution to increasing the productivity of the sea-bed biodiversity close to the coastline at Outão (Arrábida Marine Park).

• Direct involvement in migratory fish conservation;

• Evaluation of the costs of acting/not acting in biodiversity issues faced to predictable climatic changes;

• Direct involvement in the conservation of birds of pray affected by electric power lines;

• Investment on extensive aquaculture, salt production and visitation to salt mines, in order to add economic competitiveness to a high conservation value ecosystem;

• The group commits to using its established capacities in the tourism, distribution and communication sectors to guaranteeing the incorporation of value-market to the system.

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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://jpn.icicom.up.pt/imagens/economia/sonae.jpg&imgrefurl=http://jpn.icicom.up.pt/2007/03/21/paulo_azevedo_e_o_novo_presidente_executivo_da_sonae_.html&h=300&w=400&sz=30&hl=pt-PT&start=1&tbnid=VFG3Xw9Dlm97MM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSONAE%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Dpt-PT%26sa%3DG

11. THANK YOU

JOÃO MENEZES ([email protected])





B&B ConferenceB&B ConferenceLisbon, 12 and 13 NovemberLisbon, 12 and 13 November

mailto:[email protected]

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