• Ongoing Projects
• Biodiversity as a Business Opportunity

The ongoing loss of biodiversity – that is, the diversity of ecosystems, animal and plant species, and genetic diversity – poses growing challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises. Particularly affected are companies involved in raw material extraction and in downstream, material- and resource-intensive value chains, such as those in the food and construction industries.

These companies are particularly dependent on biodiversity and ecosystem services as the basis for their production – for example, on fertile soils, water, or pollination. At the same time, their consumption of raw materials and natural resources contributes significantly to biodiversity loss.

The environmental impacts of their production activities also play a significant role. These impacts include greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and waste generation. This gives rise to economic, regulatory, and environmental risks. Taken together, these interdependencies make biodiversity highly relevant to many businesses.

Biodiversity as a Strategic Factor for Businesses

So far, however, this significance has been utilized only to a limited extent in strategic terms. Some pioneering companies are beginning to recognize biodiversity as an important sustainability issue and, in some cases, are even embedding it into their organizational structures. However, the focus remains primarily on risk management and reporting. To date, there has been little systematic integration of biodiversity-related insights into strategic business decisions regarding procurement, product lines, product development, investments, and business models.

Against this background, the goal of this project is to assess the strategic importance of biodiversity for small and medium-sized enterprises. Furthermore, it seeks to identify and highlight the associated business opportunities. Building on this, the project aims to integrate biodiversity considerations more fully into strategic decision-making.

Developing Innovative Business Models

A particular focus is on identifying innovative biodiversity-oriented business models. In addition, workshop formats and guidance materials are being developed. Together, these project outputs are intended to highlight the opportunities presented by biodiversity-related concerns and support companies in their strategic implementation.

The project is funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).