Neste clarifies "nature positive" concept for its operations
Refining company Neste has outlined its interpretation of "nature positive" and its integration into the company's strategy. The goal is to achieve a nature-positive value chain by 2040.
Helsinki – Neste, a refiner of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, has detailed its approach to the emerging concept of being "nature positive." The company aims for its entire value chain to be nature positive by 2040, signifying a commitment to not only minimize negative impacts on ecosystems but also actively contribute to their restoration and enhancement.
The company explains that "nature positive" is gaining traction as a critical sustainability trend, highlighting the interconnectedness of biodiversity, ecosystem health, and climate change mitigation. Neste asserts that addressing nature loss is essential for effectively combating the climate crisis, envisioning economic activities that actively benefit rather than harm natural systems.
Global initiatives, including the G7's 2021 "nature positive" commitment and the EU's Nature Restoration Law, along with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, are driving increased corporate focus on nature-positive strategies. These frameworks emphasize the need for businesses to move beyond simply reducing harm to actively restoring degraded ecosystems.
Asta Soininen, Sustainability and Regulations Associate at Neste, stressed the importance of safeguarding natural resources for future viability. "The purpose of restoration is to achieve something more than what was there in the first place," Soininen stated. "When you restore biodiversity, then you can also mitigate the impacts of climate change."
Neste has begun assessing its impacts on nature and developing specific goals and strategies to achieve its 2040 nature-positive vision. This includes setting biodiversity targets and working to reduce the environmental footprint of its renewable product manufacturing processes.