Why nature should be the new bottom line for business in 2026
This opinion piece by Business for Nature CEO, Eva Zabey was originally published by Reuters
Last year will be remembered as a real test of commitment for the global sustainability agenda. Political uncertainty and regulatory rollbacks, particularly the weakening of flagship EU legislation such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and yet another delay in enforcing the European Union Deforestation Regulation, signal a troubling loss of resolve.
These decisions reward inaction and deter the very ambition needed to secure long-term economic and environmental resilience. But the crisis of nature loss should not be left to the shifting winds of policy; it requires businesses to step forward and lead the way.
The real pressure isn’t coming from regulations in Brussels or Washington; it’s building inside companies. Dozens of major firms are publishing public nature plans through initiatives such as It’s Now for Nature, representing more than $700 billion in revenue and more than 1.6 million employees.
These leaders know that nature loss is a material issue, because the cost of inaction is staggering. The World Bank estimates that the collapse of select ecosystem services could result in a decline in global GDP of $2.7 trillion annually by 2030.
This new era of leadership is not about waiting for the next regulation. It demands CEOs to act now – steering the transition, building long-term value and engaging responsibly with policymakers to shape the rules of a nature-positive economy.
The winners will be those who see nature not as a cost to be managed but the foundation of resilience, innovation and growth, and essential to every decision they make.