Biodiversity Counts is an innovative solution to translate the impact of human activities on natural systems into clear economic metrics. We assign a monetary value to biodiversity to help raise awareness of the value of life.  

The global biodiversity crisis, fueled by human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, poses significant risks to ecosystems, economies, and societies. Organizations face growing regulatory and consumer pressures to address biodiversity impacts, yet challenges such as the complexity of ecosystems, fragmented data, and the lack of standardized metrics hinder progress. 

In response,

Eco Intelligent Growth (EIG) and Grupo Construcía (GC), in collaboration with KPMG Netherlands and the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), developed the Biodiversity Counts solution. This innovative solution measures and assigns economic value to biodiversity impacts across supply chains. Biodiversity Counts bridges critical gaps in existing methodologies by incorporating a broader range of pressures, including water availability and ecotoxicity, and offering high-resolution, context-sensitive analyses. 

Comparative evaluations show that Biodiversity Counts delivers results comparable to alternative tools but surpasses them in capturing nuanced biophysical and socioeconomic contexts. For example, while alternative tools focus on biome-level impacts, Biodiversity Counts detailed approach identifies unaccounted biodiversity costs which would increase current retail price by 10–17%, such is the situation in the case study of the wooden armchair manufactured by Andreu World (a Spanish company specialising in the design and manufacture of high quality seating and tables, with a strong emphasis on craftsmanship and environmental responsibility). 

It also highlights the importance of indirect supply chain impacts, which often constitute a significant share of total biodiversity loss. In the case of a housing construction project promoted by Circular Capital (Spanish investment management firm that challenges the status quo of the construction ecosystem, associated industries, and real estate, pursuing positive impact for people, the planet, and companies), optimizing wood sourcing for a housing project reduced biodiversity-related costs by 80%, from €500,000 to €100,000. 

Ultimately, by introducing a pioneering methodology for quantifying biodiversity impacts in monetary terms, Biodiversity Counts empowers companies, policy makers and investors to address hidden environmental costs, prioritize sustainable practices, and comply with evolving regulatory frameworks such as the CSRD and EU Taxonomy. Moreover, nature-positive investments, such as ecosystem restoration, yield substantial economic benefits—€8 to €38 for every €1 spent. Through solutions like Biodiversity Counts, companies can align with sustainability goals, mitigate risks, and contribute to closing the global biodiversity financing gap. 

In summary, Biodiversity Counts is important : 

• to control hidden financial risks 

• to reduce biodiversity impact costs through more sustainable design and harvesting decisions 

• to accelerate the profitability of sustainable investments 

• to simplify compliance with CSRD, European Taxonomy and TNFD 

 

Find out how Biodiversity Counts can support companies, investors, designers, developers and public institutions in investment strategies, product design, responsible procurement, project development and regulatory compliance.

Download the White Paper: https://forms.office.com/e/L9E6Z1TZ6m?origin=lprLink 

If you are interested in knowing more in detail about the solution, please contact us at eig@ecointelligentgrowth.net