A group of experts has banded together to develop a framework for defining “nature positive” in the built environment, aiming to avoid risks of unintentional greenwashing.
Launched by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), an industry network seeking to implement sustainable practices, the working group plans to identify a standard definition for ‘nature positive’, as the term has recently gained traction within the sector.
The initiative will establish a framework for the applicability of this terminology, with a “stringent and shared” set of criteria to be required, the UKGBC said in a statement.
The Lloyds Banking Group, AtkinsRealis, Ramboll, and consultancy firms such as Mott MacDonald, Greengage Environmental, AECOM, and WSP, are among the members of the newly launched initiative.
According to the UKGBC, the framework also aims to create a “mutual understanding of the principles behind nature positivity and enable the industry to identify and challenge greenwashing”.
Furthermore, the working group will identify the challenges associated with achieving a nature-positive built environment, while also providing best practice examples.
“I’m excited to be part of this group helping to shape a clear definition for the concept which can hopefully stave off misuse and greenwash,” Morgan Taylor, director at Greengage Environmental, said on LinkedIn.
“Such a definition will be crucial for the likes of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) aligned strategy and must reflect consideration of impact throughout the value chain, helping us shape outcomes for nature way beyond our red lines.”
The project follows the UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Framework Definition, a set of principles for achieving net zero carbon for construction and operational energy.
With biodiversity loss now a top concern for corporates and policymakers, the term ‘nature positive’ is set to take on the role that ‘net zero’ has played in climate agreements.
In the past few months, several initiatives have been launched to define what ‘nature positive’ is in various contexts, as business, government, and civil society have struggled so far to align on its meaning.
In May, the Nature Positive Initiative partnered with consultants EY and The Biodiversity Consultancy to establish metrics tailored to ‘nature positive’ claims.
The partnership launch came after nearly 30 organisations banded together under the NPI in September, seeking to better define the term. Members of the coalition include disclosure standards the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and TNFD, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), plus non-profits The Nature Conservancy and WWF.
By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com
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