Natural Capital has been defined as the elements of nature that directly and indirectly produce value or benefits to people, including ecosystems, species, freshwater, land, minerals, the air and oceans, as well as natural processes and functions.

Increasingly, companies are seeing there are real commercial benefits to be gained from investing in the very ecosystems that their supply chains rely on and looking to nature to address some of their issues. Examples include a US chemical company that invested USD 1 million in a wetland which naturally filters water, rather than USD 40 million in a wastewater treatment plant. In the UK, a snack company is providing free bee kits to help to develop a more local honey supply chain.

Biodiversity offsetting has been introduced as a way of managing the overall environmental effect of projects where some degradation cannot be avoided, for instance in some transport infrastructure projects. However, with the time it takes for habitats to become established, can biodiversity offsetting really work or is it simply an opt out for the less-environmentally conscious?

Even the most carbon-conscious energy projects have an impact on the environment when the new energy farm is built. Increasingly, energy projects are taking the habitats in which they are located into account, transport projects have natural capital programmes and landfill sites have biodiversity plans as part of their closure programmes.

This event will look at the key non-mineral natural capital components and assess how attractive they are for investors and for companies to become engaged. Beyond PR and the desire actually to be doing some good, is there a commercial reason for companies to invest in natural capital? In particular, we will look at:

• biodiversity offsetting
• business risk of natural capital degradation
• investing in natural capital to make supply chains more resilient
• using natural capital solutions for commercial issues
• taking corporate sustainability into the woodland, oceans and freshwater
• investor returns from natural capital

Agenda:

5.30pm Registration

6.00pm Welcome – Andrew Bond, Smith & Williamson

6.10pm Introduction – Clive Hall, Rushlight Events

6.20pm Overview of Natural Capital

6.40pm The Regulatory Impact on Natural Capital

7.00pm The Risks and Rewards of Natural Capital Management

7.20pm Panel discussion and Q&A, augmented by

Details to follow

8.00pm Networking, drinks and eats

9.00pm Close

Who should attend?

This event is ideal for anyone involved in managing or advising on companies' sustainability programmes, renewable energy or transport projects, land management programmes, freshwater and marine environment activities. It really is relevant for anyone involved in cleantech and sustainability, including investors and financiers, corporate sustainability professionals, consultants, other professional advisers, media, technology developers, sustainable solutions providers and other sector followers.