World Wildlife Fund Sustainability Works

When it comes to adapting to climate change, the private sector seems to be spinning its wheels. They remain focused solely on hardening their business to climate impacts, when they should be addressing the root causes of climate vulnerability, such as social inequality and nature loss. Too many companies still operate as they did 30 years ago, with a myopic view of what risk entails and a singular focus on achieving short-term profit. If they can muster a broader, longer-term vision, companies could benefit from greater investment in a more holistic and nature-friendly approach to business.

How can wood furniture help ensure forests remain standing? Using wood from responsibly managed forests actually can help keep forests healthy for generations to come. Forests managed under rigorous environmental and social criteria can generate income while allowing forests to regenerate naturally, so they continue to provide goods and services that benefit people, wildlife, and climate. This market incentive helps keep forests from being degraded or cleared for agriculture or other uses. So, companies that offer wood products in the marketplace have a crucial role to play in addressing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through their responsible sourcing decisions.

For as long as I can remember, my heart has been intertwined with the natural world. Growing up, I was that kid who would rescue stranded worms after a rainstorm or spend hours marveling at the intricate patterns of leaves and flowers. This deep-seated love for nature and all its creatures has shaped my life and career in profound ways.

Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change, and 90% of ongoing deforestation is caused by clearing land to graze cattle and grow crops. But progress on deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains remains slow and commodity-driven ecosystem loss continues at high rates. Many companies are failing to meet the urgency of the moment and have failed to even set sustainability targets.

Because the agricultural commodity trade is dominated by a small number of companies globally, actions by companies that produce, trade, and source agricultural commodities are a crucial lever to help solve the problem. But defining what “good” targets and progress look like can be complicated. This complexity can make it difficult for a company’s stakeholders – including buyers, investors, and policymakers – to tell whether new corporate commitments are a step forward or a step backward.

To help identify commitments with potentially fatal flaws, we have drawn guidance from the Accountability Framework initiative, as well as WWF’s own recommendations, to codify several key elements of a DCF commitment. If any of the following elements are found in corporate DCF commitments, they render the entire commitment suspect at best and, at worst, counterproductive. Consider these elements red flags: If you see a commitment with any of these flaws, its credibility is in question.

In 2019, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and American Beverage (ABA) joined forces to tackle a growing environmental crisis: plastic waste. This partnership is driven by one shared goal: to ensure that every plastic bottle remains in the loop to become another bottle, moving the world towards less plastic use and no plastic in nature. This kind of “circular economy” ensures materials are remade, reducing the need for new plastic and minimizing environmental impact. To that end, over the past five years we’ve worked to deliver meaningful, practical, and innovative solutions — and our efforts have yielded significant results.

To the business community: pay attention to this next statistic because it has critical ramifications for your company and livelihood.

According to WWF's latest Living Planet Report, we’ve seen a 73% decline in the average size of wildlife populations since 1970.

Sad, right? But what does wildlife have to do with you? You may be thinking that this is a problem for conservationists and scientists—fewer fish in Brazil won’t make a difference to your company one way or another. I’m sorry to tell you this, but that couldn’t be more wrong.

Every two years, WWF releases a state-of-the-planet report chronicling the health of our natural world, the drivers of biodiversity loss, and solutions. That shocking statistic—an average 73% decline in wildlife populations—is the canary in the coal mine. Biodiversity loss is inextricably linked with other aspects of planetary health, including our climate and availability of natural resources. In short, this is not just about animals; this is a human problem, and a problem for business. Take it as a warning sign about our planet’s ability to support life and provide the resources on which we depend. This is a red flag so big and bright you could see it from outer space.

The Challenge

With each passing day, the plastic pollution crisis grows more urgent. As the world generates 400 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, studies reveal the toll that plastics are taking on our health, bodies, and environments. Yet, plastic remains deeply integrated in our lives and routines – it makes our hospitals safer, helps our food last longer, and our packages ship more easily. We must all come together to find solutions to fix the broken system that has landed us in a world of plastic dependence, and consequently, plastic pollution. Business in particular plays an essential role and must take bold and effective action now to ensure a more sustainable future.

It’s true that sustainable investments, such as those in product design, innovation, and manufacturing, require large upfront costs. This can be especially hard to justify when the financial benefits are not guaranteed and the ROI may not be seen for years. However, if done effectively, the potential gain is worth the investment. For instance, research estimates that converting 20% of plastic packaging to reuse offers a $10 billion opportunity for businesses.

McDonald’s Corporation is planting trees in hedgerows on French farms, with a target of 230,000 trees by 2030. Why? This is one of the activities that companies can implement to reduce agriculture and forestry greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in their supply chains and count toward meeting their climate targets. All told, McDonald’s Corporation committed to reducing its forest, land, and agriculture emissions by 72% by 2050.

Other mitigation options for companies with food, agriculture, or forestry emissions include reducing emissions by halting deforestation and degradation, improving forest management, reducing agricultural emissions, and sequestering carbon in soil.

Businesses’ supply chains depend on climate and the services provided by nature. Companies with significant land-sector emissions are even more dependent than others, so they are strengthening their climate commitments to comprehensively include land emissions through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Since the SBTi began validating Forestry, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) science-based targets last year, 83 companies have set targets to reduce their FLAG emissions and increase removals.¹

More ways companies are taking action to reduce FLAG emissions include:

Sharks are among the most majestic top predator species. They have outlived the dinosaurs and many other forms of life currently on earth, with fossil records dating back 400 million years. Our oceans are home to more than 500 different shark species worldwide, and they play an important role in marine ecosystems. Sharks are critical to maintaining the delicate balance of marine life and can help our oceans become more resilient in facing climate change.

However, these predators are in danger. Shark populations around the world are in decline due to overfishing, the demand for shark fins, and habitat loss. Since they reproduce so slowly, sharks cannot keep up with the rate at which they are caught. That is why WWF has made restoring shark populations a top conservation priority.

Recently, WWF partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to raise awareness about the dangers facing these iconic ocean species. During their week of exclusive shark-focused TV programming, “Shark Week,” Warner Bros. Discovery helped raise awareness and save sharks globally by helping to protect critical ecosystems, including pupping and nursery habitats for baby hammerheads.

Many of the innovations we now take for granted daily consist of single-use plastics, meaning products that can be conveniently disposed of the minute they no longer hold value to the consumer. However, the popularity and ease of the ‘take-make-waste’ economy is not without dire consequences for our planet. In the US alone, it is estimated that the annual volume of plastic waste produced is over 42 million metric tons—only 8.7% of which is recycled. At the current rate, these numbers are set to triple by 2040, since our current waste management system and recycling infrastructure cannot properly manage the volume of virgin plastic produced.

With plastic use ever growing, we need to fix the broken system that has gotten us to this point and prioritize new business models that provide the same functionality and accessibility as single-use plastics without polluting the air, water and soil that both people and wildlife depend on.