Just released: new report assesses opportunities and barriers for advancing Natural Infrastructure in business

Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) issued a report on business incentives for implementing Natural Infrastructure (NI)

Geneva, 8 May 2017: This work builds on the materials and resources available on WBCSD’s Natural Infrastructure for Business (NI4Biz) platform.

The report details a study conducted across different sectors in six regions (Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North America) to uncover the barriers and incentives for businesses obtaining permits, financing and insurance for natural infrastructure.

According to the report, the most common incentives for investing in natural infrastructure include cost savings, environmental and social benefits that go beyond financials and alignment with policy frameworks.

The most significant barriers to permitting and financing for natural infrastructure include technical feasibility and revenue generation.

In efforts to help businesses overcome such challenges, the report provides a set of recommendations for:

• Collaborating with local authorities about obtaining permits for NI
• Engaging with the finance community to increase financing of NI
• Promoting policies and risk reduction benefits of NI

In response to the report, Maria Mendiluce, Managing Director of WBCSD’s Natural Capital Area stated her support for overcoming these barriers: “In 2015, governments, water utilities, companies and communities invested nearly USD$25 billion on natural infrastructure (wetlands, land restoration, green roofs…)  – this is a good start, but we need to do more. We need to work with the financial community to promote investments to reduce physical risks by channeling capital flows towards natural infrastructure solutions.”

The report shows that business has a key role to play in demonstrating the effectiveness of NI solutions and engaging with stakeholders who can influence financing and permitting. The report will also inform the next steps of WBCSD’s Natural Infrastructure business solution.

View the Recommendations for advancing natural infrastructure incentives

For more information or to get involved please contact Anaïs Blasco, Manager Natural Capital, at blasco@wbcsd.org.