Monday 6th January 2025

This study, published in partnership with SDA Bocconi and written by Sylvie Goulard, professor of practice and former Member of the European Parliament, explores a crucial strategic issue: the preservation of biodiversity and its decisive role in the economic resilience of businesses. 

Drawing on scientific facts and the concrete initiatives of major groups – BNP Paribas, Bouygues, ENGIE, LVMH, VEOLIA and SNCF Voyageurs – the study highlights the risks of biodiversity degradation for corporate sustainability. But it also reveals major opportunities for sustainably transforming business models and rethinking value chains. By cross-referencing these experiences with complementary perspectives – those of insurers, financial regulators and legal experts – it offers a systemic approach to the subject. It will be followed by further studies in 2025 and 2026.  

Access the full study by filling in the form below 👇


Sylvie Goulard’s viewpoint

Monsieur Jourdain* and biodiversity

As companies produce goods and services from capital and labor, why should they be interested in nature? What does ecology have to do with them?

Invisible, natural capital is nonetheless essential to all human activities. For a long time, we neglected the services that nature provides: the pollination that fertilizes fruit trees, the capture of CO2 by forests and soils, the regulation of temperatures by the oceans. We thought that with the help of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, fields could always yield more. Now, even in our latitudes, we measure the value of water and trees.

In a word, we have used living things as Monsieur Jourdain* used prose: without even thinking about it. Scientists tell us that nature is now overexploited. They have identified the physical and health risks associated with this excess, just as central banks warn of financial risks. Man is part of nature, not its master. This is why our economic model must change.  

*A character in a play by Molière, the famous 17th-century playwright, who speaks prose without knowing it. 

A strategic challenge for companies  

The companies involved in 2050NOW have begun to take action on biodiversity, which represents a strategic issue (resilience of production chains, cost control, attractiveness). Their experience shows that it is necessary to motivate and train employees, and that the goal is best achieved if management bodies are involved, while drawing on external expertise.

Solutions exist, such as reducing water consumption, regenerating soil depleted by intensive farming, and guaranteeing certified supplies. Collecting data on impacts and dependencies is also essential to the success of the transition.  


Download the full study 

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