​The Project

The client for this project, one of the largest pension funds in the world, is committed to responsible investing and seeks to ensure that its investment holdings align with global sustainability goals. Recognizing the critical importance of biodiversity, the client commissioned this project to better understand the environmental risks associated with companies operating in global biodiversity hotspots. The project’s primary objective was to identify companies and their affiliates that have operations in these vulnerable areas, assess the potential and existing impacts of these operations on biodiversity, and prioritize those companies for further auditing. This prioritization is anticipated to inform future investment decisions, with the goal of reducing the pension fund’s exposure to activities that contribute to biodiversity loss.

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Goals and scope of work

The overarching goal of this project was to identify and evaluate the companies whose operations intersect with global biodiversity hotspots, providing a comprehensive analysis of their potential environmental impacts. The specific objectives included:

1. Identifying Companies and Affiliates: To pinpoint companies and their subsidiaries with operational footprints within biodiversity hotspots.

2. Geolocation and Mapping: To accurately geolocate these operations using tools such as Google Earth and GIS software.

3. Impact Assessment: To conduct a thorough analysis of the likely and existing impacts of these operations on the biodiversity within these hotspots.

4. Prioritization: To develop a prioritized list of companies based on the severity of their impacts, which will be used for further audits and evaluations.

5. Reporting: To compile the findings into a comprehensive report that will guide the client's future investment strategies in line with biodiversity conservation goals.

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Final Product

The final deliverable was a comprehensive report that included a prioritized list of companies based on their potential and existing impacts on global biodiversity hotspots. This list will serve as the foundation for the client’s auditing process, with the highest-priority companies being subject to further scrutiny. The report also provided strategic recommendations for reducing the client’s exposure to biodiversity risks, thereby aligning their investment portfolio with global sustainability objectives.

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