100 Business Actions for Nature

Actions that businesses can take to help nature help their business

Credit: Peter Cairns 2020VISION for both the main image and circular image background inside the wheel.

About

More than ever before, businesses are required to make transformational changes as a vital component of tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises. However knowing the right steps to take, or sometimes even where to begin, is not always an easy task for businesses, whether large or small.

To help businesses, on whatever stage of their journey they might be, the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital has created this website, a free resource to help businesses build nature and climate into decision-making processes. This will be essential for Scotland's business contribution to progressing the Sustainable Development Goals, and to ultimately take the positive steps we need for our planet.

We hope that businesses will use this website to find suitable suggestions, implement actions, spark conversations, and to share ideas. Please see below for the different ways businesses can get in touch with the Scottish Forum about any aspect of this project.

Where do I start?

To get started simply click on any item in the wheel below to start exploring our 100 suggestions. We have divided the suggestions into five categories to make browsing easy.

The categories are Your Community, Your Supply Chain, Your Employees, Your Business, Your Leadership. We have also included tags to help you navigate, including For SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enteprises), Quick Wins, and others!

Once you have clicked on an item on the wheel you can start browsing our 100 suggestions. Each suggestion will open in a new window that also suggests other related content within the website, as well as external links. To return to the wheel simply click the circle in the centre. Happy exploring!

We would like your feedback!

We would like you to share with us your thoughts about this website, and also any plans you have to follow-up on the actions. There are a number of ways that you can get in touch to give feedback.

  1. Signposting - have you got a question about any of the suggestions? Contact us and we will try to either answer your question, or put you in touch with someone who can!
  2. Your actions - are you following up any of the suggestions? We want to hear about it!
  3. Your suggestions - is there a suggestion we haven’t thought of? Or content that the website would benefit from? Please let us know and we can add your ideas.
  4. Join the Scottish Forum as a member - connect with like-minded businesses and organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Finally, feel free to leave us a comment on the social links or contact us using the details at the foot of this page to give your feedback and let others know your plans!

Acknowledgements

The "100 Business Actions for Nature" suggestions have been made by the steering group of the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital. A huge thanks to each member organisation, and those individuals within, who gave their time and thought to help produce this guide. A special thanks to the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership, who assisted our steering group with a number of suggestions.

Click on a category within the wheel to filter the entries below.

Initiatives

A natural capital account
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Develop a natural capital account for your business practices or land-holdings to better understand the value of the natural environment, and inform decision-making processes....

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Active travel commuting
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Promote active travel, (walking; cycling; scooting). It is not only better for the planet it provides exercise and is more fun too. Consider a cycling to work scheme to purchase tax-free bikes, (including electric bike options) cycle safety and rep...

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Board meeting agendas
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Get nature and climate change on the agenda for your next board meeting, and make it a standing item in the future....

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Business collaboration
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Look for opportunities to collaborate with local businesses....

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Carbon plan
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Create a carbon management plan - use nature based carbon offsets...

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Category
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Citizen Science
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Take part in surveys to provide environmental data vital to scientists across Scotland....

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Climate case studies for SMEs
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SCDI provide case study videos for SMEs to follow in 5 easy steps, to start your own journey to net zero and a nature-rich future....

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Conversation with customers
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Speak with your customers about the steps you’re taking...

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Embrace flexible working
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Embrace flexible working longer-term. This can reduce transport time and climate footprint!...

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Encourage other businesses
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Green your premises and encourage other local businesses to do the same, or join a network of climate leaders to share your own journey as a business....

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Every small action helps!
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Meeting the twin climate and biodiversity crises starts with us as individuals....

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For larger businesses
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For SMEs
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Actions for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)...

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Get competitive!
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Have a competition among your employees to promote nature-friendly lifestyle ideas....

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Give some time volunteering
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Give some time volunteering - opportunities in the outdoors!...

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Green your premises inside
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Green your premises indoors, to meet climate and nature crises and also make savings!...

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Green your premises outside
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There are an ever-increasing number of green infrastructure options for your building externally....

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Help our feathered friends
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Bird-feeders, bird boxes, and bird watching! - Help our feathered friends...

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Impacts and dependencies
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Conduct a nature/natural capital audit of your business...

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Job interview questions!
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Include questions about why nature and climate change matter when interviewing applicants for jobs...

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Join a conservation charity
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...

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Join a SME climate hub
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Join businesses of all sizes across the UK who are committing to cut carbon emissions and protect the planet....

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Join the Scottish Forum!
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Membership of the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital is free and open to public, private and voluntary organisations....

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Longer term strategy
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Make your land work for nature
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Make your land work for nature...

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Nature champion on board
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Create a nature champion on your board...

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Nature-friendly food!
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Grow or buy sustainably produced, local, and nature-friendly food....

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On land-holdings
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On premises
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On premises...

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Outreach to local schools
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Make a donation to a local school to buy wildflower seed, nest boxes and other materials to help nature and promote outdoor learning and attainment....

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Plant for pollinators
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Feed the bees! - Plant for pollinators...

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Policy advocacy for nature
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Write to your industry body, or the Scottish Government, and ask what action they’re taking to tackle the nature and climate crises...

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Procurement policy
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Build nature and climate change into your procurement policies...

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Promote staff volunteering
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Give opportunities to your staff to volunteer to help nature in local communiites...

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Purchasing your products
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Buy more environmentally friendly products...

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Quick win
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Quick win actions...

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Raingardens
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Build green roofs, living green walls and rain gardens into your buildings or designs for others....

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Share your story
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Become an exemplar, and share your story with the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital and Business in the Community Scotland....

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Speak with your suppliers
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Ask questions of your suppliers to let them know the environment is a topic that’s important to you...

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Supply chain analysis
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Review your business supply chain to highlight impacts and dependencies on nature....

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Support a threatened species
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Support measures to enhance or restore the habitat of local species related to your industry....

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Support community nature
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Help improve local greenspaces in your community for people and nature....

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Survey as you work
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Survey as you work – encourage staff to look for and submit wildlife records from their commute, their grounds, or out their office window!...

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Sustainability champions!
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Appoint sustainability champions to develop an action plan and encourage change...

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Sustainable food policy
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Develop a sustainable food policy for your meetings and events...

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Sustainable transport policy
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Develop and implement a sustainable travel policy...

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Tag
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The Netzero Toolkit
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SMEs make up more than 90% of the UK business population and so their effort and commitment is vital if we are to reach our carbon emissions targets....

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Turn off lights and equipment
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Remember to turn off lights and equipment and power down computers at night....

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Volunteering opportunities
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Give some time – volunteering opportunities in the outdoors with a conservation charity....

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Wellbeing hour
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Promote spending time in nature to increase employee wellbeing....

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Your Business
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...

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Your Community
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Your Employees
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...

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Your Leadership
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...

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Your Supply Chain
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Contact us

Feel free to leave us a comment on the social links below to give your feedback! Or contact us at the Scottish Wildlife Trust to discuss this resource.