Leading companies respond to biodiversity loss

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Amsterdam, June 9 (IANS) More than 50 companies have stepped forward to show their shared commitment as part of the 'Sharm El Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People' in support of the global biodiversity framework expected to be adopted in October at Kunming in China during the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-15).

The shared commitment is centred on sourcing ingredients from biodiversity in a way that respects people and nature.

Each company is committing to assess their ingredient sourcing practices, set clear targets to promote positive impact for people and biodiversity, monitor and communicate on their progress, and continuously improve these actions over time.

Large luxury brands and smaller specialty companies are included in the list that was shared on Wednesday along with the text of the commitment that has been submitted to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

The list includes well-known brands, including Natura & Co (parent company of the Body Shop, Natura Cosmetics and Avon), Weleda, Liz Earle, LVMH research division, Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Givenchy, Kenzo Parfums, Fresh, and Guerlain.

The commitment also includes leading fragrance and flavour companies Firmenich and Symrise, and the botanicals leader Martin Bauer Group.

In the run-up to the launch of the CBD COP-15 these companies are showing that they are committed to 'bend the curve' of nature loss by slowing down or halting biodiversity loss and restoring nature through smart nature-based solutions.

The Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT), an international non-profit organisation, gathered these business sectors' voices over the last several weeks and submitted the joint commitment on Wednesday.

Commitments made to the Action Agenda for Nature and People represent UEBT's contribution to the Convention on Biological Diversity's process to develop a 'post-2020 global biodiversity framework' that will be adopted at the COP-15 and will guide action on biodiversity for the next decade and beyond.

"We are at a critical and decisive point in history, where all of society needs to reconnect to nature and contribute towards a shared vision: to Live in Harmony with Nature by 2050. Every actor from society, government and the productive and financial sectors has a vital part to play in realising this vision for the health of our planet and our future," said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The commitment follows from the Economist Intelligence Unit's report last month called 'Eco-wakening' that showed that over the last five years, Internet searches by the public for sustainable goods had increased more than 70 per cent, including during the pandemic.

The research looked at 54 countries (more than 80 per cent of the world's population) and Internet searches across 27 languages.

The report also noted that the natural beauty and pharmaceuticals sectors had clearly responded to this trend, citing the 45 per cent growth in the number of companies working with UEBT on ethical sourcing over that same period.

--IANS

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