Biodiversity

Biodiversity is essential to life on Earth and without it, the ecosystems we all rely on would collapse.

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Population growth, combined with climate change and global cycles of production and consumption, have placed increased stresses on ecosystems and contributed to a significant decline in biodiversity – with many species either becoming extinct or now under major threat, as we face a sixth mass extinction.

Biodiversity is critical for companies across their operations and supply chains, and is particularly important for organisations, like many of our members, which have decarbonisation, sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategies and who wish to play a proactive role in addressing the ecological crisis.

Urgent interventions are now needed to restore habitats and species abundance and to reverse this concerning trend.

Extracting and processing raw materials to meet global consumption habits accounts for ninety per cent of biodiversity loss, but recycling helps to keep valuable materials in use for longer, which reduces the need to extract and process more.

Additionally, waste management practices and regulations like we have in the UK help to minimise pollution, which would otherwise threaten biodiversity.

In recognition of the current and potential role of our sector, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) convened a Biodiversity Working Group in 2021 to develop and share best practice as well as devise longer-term monitoring, reporting and governance protocols to track performance.

The ESA has subsequently published a Biodiversity Best Practice Guide, alongside a Nature Positive Toolkit and other assets to help members, and the wider sector, understand and mitigate their biodiversity impacts, while also maximising their contribution to habitat and biodiversity enhancement.