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Natural Capital Leadership Compact

A Collective Call for Action to Properly Value and Maintain the Earth’s Natural Capital

About the Compact
Signatories
Quotes from Signatories
News and Media
How Can I Sign?

Business leaders and Platform members present the Compact to the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Buildings and the Brazilian Ambassador on 12 March 2012

Business leaders and Platform members present the Compact to the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Buildings and the Brazilian Ambassador on 12 March 2012

What is the Compact?

With growing business interest in the management of natural capital over the last year, members of the Natural Capital Leaders Platform have developed a ground-breaking 'Natural Capital Leadership Compact'. This is a business statement of intent that also urges international governments to commit to a global policy framework on the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources.

The Compact has been fed into the UN Rio+20 policy-making processes and is currently generating significant interest among companies with recognised global brands who want to show their support for its bold business commitments. The Leadership Compact is based on the outcomes of practical collaboration within the Platform over the last 18 months to identify innovative business solutions that address natural capital challenges globally.

The Commitment by Businesses

The Leadership Compact’s commitments recognise that we do not have 20 more years to debate what needs to be done. The businesses' pledges cover:

Operating within the limits of natural systems

Identifying and addressing externalities (un-costed impacts on people and the environment from the production and consumption of products and services)

Enabling consumers to make better-informed choices

Developing rigorous and realistic targets and plans

By signing the compact companies agree to demonstrate their commitment by:

sharing their experience and learning in the four key areas for business through the international network of the Natural Capital Leaders Platform

meeting once a year to discuss their progress and share their learning at events in America, Europe and Asia

engaging at senior level with national, regional and international governments through the Natural Capital Leaders Platform to press for action

"Only by collaborating with others across our industry and up and down our supply chain will we be able to crack the toughest sustainability challenges. For that reason it's important for us to clearly define the non-competitive areas in the area of sustainability where we can apply our collective effort, ingenuity and scale to drive the change that's necessary in the amount of time that the scientists tell us is available in which to do it."

Thomas Lingard, Global Advocacy Director, Unilever

"The CPSL-led Natural Capital Compact is important for Nestlé in that it brings together like minded companies that are committed to the need to take action at the operational level, and through their efforts can demonstrate to governments that natural capital is a business issue that companies are willing to act upon. The Compact and the work of Cambridge University also provides an important platform where collectively we can work with governments to put in place the mechanisms that can facilitate the change needed to value, conserve and enhance natural capital."

José Lopez, Executive Vice President, Nestlé

"Valuing natural capital is critical to ensuring that we manage scarce resources, such as water, through efficient market solutions. Pricing externalities effectively and efficiently will take some time, and will not be easy, but without it we will continue to risk undermining long term economic growth through wasteful resource use."

Graham Mackay, Chief Executive, SABMiller plc

"Our determination to positively contribute to our environment is critical to the way we do business at Mars – this includes our supply chain, brands and operations. We believe we have a responsibility to work with others in addressing these issues."

Andrew Hobday, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars Incorporated

"André Maggi Group is joining the Natural Capital Leadership Compact because we strongly believe that it is part of our role to properly value and maintain the stock of natural capital. We also know that we are only a part of this equation and this is why we are working with our value chain to build a deeper understanding of the externalities associated with our activities and meet realistic targets to promote the protection and efficient use of natural resources. We hope that our work will set an example to other companies to join us in these commitments in order to achieve scale across our business sector."

Waldemir Ival Loto, Chief Executive Officer, Grupo André Maggi

"Organizations today appear more aware of the urgency of pursuing innovative practices towards a new model of development that considers aspects beyond merely the economic and financial. For sure, companies, institutions and governments with this commitment will be able to view social and environmental challenges as development opportunities, and they will know how to concentrate their efforts on identifying solutions for the current and future issues of society. At Natura, we believe that only a profound transformation based on the ethics of life, which prevail in a new logic of development and a strengthened global governance, will be source of hope for future generations and for the continuity of human existence on Earth."

Alessandro Carlucci, Chief Executive Officer, Natura

22 June 2012: Comparison of the Draft Text of the Rio+20 Outcome Document with The Leadership Compact

On 19 June 2012, the Draft Text of the Outcome Document of The UN Conference on Sustainable Development was presented by the Conference’s Presidency. It was adopted by consensus, to be taken over to the High Level Segment of the meeting.

Read the Comparison of the Draft Text of the Rio+20 Outcome Document with The Leadership Compact: ‘Committing to Natural Capital’

15 June 2012: Press Release – Business Leaders call on Rio Negotiators to take action to value natural capital

In advance of the Rio+20 Summit, a group of prominent business leaders whose companies have a collective turnover of over $US 350 billion, called for urgent action to properly value and maintain the Earth’s natural capital.

Read the Press Release

11 June 2012: CPSL and business leaders deliver the Compact's key messages at Rio+20

CPSL and Platform members will be attending the UN Rio +20 conference to highlight the ambitious business pledges on behalf the global companies who have endorsed the Compact. They will also be speaking at several official side events to discuss the Compact and its key themes at the highest level.

28 May 2012: Leading businesses endorse the Natural Capital Compact

A select group of leading international companies who are demonstrating leadership in responding to the impacts of natural capital loss have come forward to endorse the Natural Capital Leadership Compact. View the signatories.

3 May 2012: Business Leaders meet with EC President Barroso to discuss green innovation and the Natural Capital Compact

A group of prominent EU business leaders from the Natural Capital Leadership Platform and The Prince of Wales's EU Corporate Leaders Group met with President Barroso, Commissioner Hedegaard (CLIMATE), Commissioner Potočnik (ENVI) and other senior European Commission officials for discussions on climate, energy and natural capital. The discussions focused on how the EU can exit the recession through green innovation, and the Natural Capital Leadership Compact's bold business commitments.

12 March 2012 The Natural Capital Leadership Compact is launched in London

Business leaders and Platform members present the Compact to the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Buildings and the Brazilian Ambassador on 12 March 2012

On 12 March 2012 the Natural Capital Leadership Compact was launched by Platform members Arup, Anglo American and ASDA Walmart in London. It was presented to the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Buildings and the Brazilian Ambassador.

How to Sign: Natural Capital Leadership Compact

Please complete your details in the signatory enquiry form, and we will be in contact to discuss the process and next steps.

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For more details, please contact:

John Pharoah,
Project Manager

T: +44 (0) 1223 768844
john.pharoah@cpsl.cam.ac.uk