WBCSD partners with leading pharmaceutical companies to develop a new ‘Roadmap to Nature Positive’

WBCSD in partnership with GSK is convening the pharma sector including AstraZeneca, Bayer, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche and Takeda, to develop an additional tool to the Roadmaps to Nature Positive series, focusing on the pharmaceutical sector.

All businesses depend on and impact nature through their direct operations and/or value chains. To accelerate business contribution toward the societal goal of nature positive, WBCSD has been developing Roadmaps to Nature Positive. These offer sector-specific guidance based on the high-level actions to assess, commit, transform and disclose nature-related issues, aligned to key frameworks from the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the Science-based Targets Network (SBTN) and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

With support from PwC UK, the Roadmap will support companies to: 

• Identify the key sector impacts, dependencies and priority actions for nature;  
• Prepare for the emerging nature-related corporate performance and accountability frameworks; 
• Drive collaborative action to address shared challenges and maximize impact and scale.  

These Roadmaps are developed by engaging companies operating in the same sector in a collaborative process with input from key stakeholders (such as TNFD, SBTN, World Wildlife Fund, Carbon Disclosure Project, etc.) to carve out sector-specific approaches that support individual and collective action. This is part of a broader initiative to map priority sector-specific actions on nature with Business for Nature and the World Economic Forum. Last year, 12 sector overviews were published, covering key impacts, dependencies and priority actions for each sector.  

Action on nature matters for health, climate and long-term business success. That’s why we’ve made a commitment, alongside our net zero goal, to contribute to a nature-positive world. This includes reducing our value chain impacts on nature, as well as investing in the protection and restoration of nature. Collaboration is key to making progress so we’re pleased to be coming together with our sector peers to identify and accelerate the priority actions for nature that we can take together.

Claire Lund, VP, Sustainability, GSK

WBCSD is building on its extensive business guidance for ‘how-to’ assess and manage nature-related risks and define strategies to accelerate business performance and accountability in support of nature-positive outcomes. This latest Roadmap will facilitate the pharmaceutical sector preparedness to act on nature.

Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President, WBCSD

Nature loss has a range of negative impacts on overall human health, including respiratory diseases due to reduced air quality, and increasing risks of new human pathogens and pandemics are a consequence of habitat degradation and deforestation. Pharmaceutical companies depend on the supply of raw materials for the manufacturing of medicines and vaccines Protecting and restoring nature is important for building resilience in the pharmaceutical sector, and society at large.

The Roadmap will be published in early 2025. A summary will be released for consultation at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia at the end of October 2024.

The health of our planet directly influences human health. As we continue to deliver on our environmental sustainability commitments, we recognize that navigating towards a nature positive future requires diligence and collective effort. At Novartis, we’re excited about the prospect of working in partnership with our peers to identify priority actions and progress effectively in this journey.

Carrie Scott, Head, Sustainability & ESG Office, Novartis

Taking action to protect nature is vital for health, climate resilience, and sustainable business success. Takeda is dedicated to contributing to a nature-positive world by reducing our environmental impacts, investing in the conservation and restoration of natural resources, and collaborating with our industry peers to identify and implement key actions for nature. Through these efforts, we aim to support the health of both people and the planet.

Kristie Boissonneault, Nature Lead,Takeda

Achieving greater harmony between nature and society is critical for the health of people and planet. AstraZeneca is committed to taking action on our key impacts and dependencies on nature across our value chain. We’re also pleased to be collaborating with our peers to co-develop The Roadmap to Nature Positive for the pharmaceutical sector, harnessing the power of collective action.

Liz Chatwin, Vice President, Global Sustainability, AstraZeneca

If you would like to contribute to the development of our Roadmap to Nature Positive for the pharmaceutical sector, please reach out to Angela, graham-brown@wbcsd.org.