The goal of the program is to equip sustainability managers and different functions (R&D, design, procurement) with general knowledge and tools to embed nature considerations in products´ life cycles.
Who is this program for?
Those responsible for product and service design decisions, as well as colleagues working in sustainability, nature and certification, procurement, operations, R&D.
Those interested to learn how nature shows up in product and service design decisions — from supply chain to design — why this is relevant to your role, what the typical dilemmas are, and which approaches can help guide decision-making.
As well as those who need to undertake some form of nature footprinting or who are facing reporting requirements where the application of LCA can provide useful support, or who wants to understand
Relevant for companies that:
- Are seeking to understand value chain impacts on nature in order to inform a nature/biodiversity strategy and respond to customer and investor expectations
- Want to identify nature and biodiversity-related hotspots along the value chain
- Aim to consider improved product design options
- Are subject to the requirements of CSRD and ESRS
- Learn how the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Footprint framework can be applied at different stages of the product and service life cycle
Why is this topic relevant to you?
Nature-related risks and opportunities arise from company’s direct or indirect reliance and impact on nature and the ecosystem services it provides. Whether sourcing materials, operating facilities, designing products, or managing distribution, companies rely on nature’s goods and services, which are increasingly under pressure. Understanding how nature-related risks can disrupt operations, supply chains and long-term value are key to business performance. However, supply chains often have hidden or under-evaluated nature risks. Therefore, companies may not fully understand and may often overlook nature risks in your strategic planning.
Assessing biodiversity impacts across the supply chain can enable companies to understand how activities depend on and affect nature, identify risks and opportunities, and implement strategies that support long-term resilience and sustainability, including the development of more sustainable products.
How can we help: What the program will offer:
- A business primer guiding participants through typical dilemmas and how to prioritize nature when making decisions on products and services; as well as the steps of undertaking a biodiversity and ecosystem footprint of their value chain, tailored to their expertise, level of knowledge, and available resources. It also highlights where and how different functions contribute to decision-making.
- Business case studies providing real-life examples
- An introductory session to learn how nature shows up in product and service design decisions — from supply chain to design — why this is relevant to your role, what the typical dilemmas are, and which approaches can help guide decision-making.
- Training sessions that will go deeper into the topic and offer practical learning and application.
- A troubleshooting session to address remaining questions
From supply chain to design decisions: Bringing Nature In: A summary from our kick-off session
This kick-off session emphasised that design decisions are critical, as a large share of environmental and biodiversity impacts are determined early in the product lifecycle.
A key takeaway was the importance of lifecycle assessment (LCA) and footprinting as practical tools to identify environmental hotspots, compare product options, and guide more sustainable design choices.
The session also highlighted emerging efforts to better integrate biodiversity into decision-making. Examples such as IKEA’s work on rattan sourcing showed how companies can use scientific partnerships and data to assess risks and improve material sourcing. Complementing this, a new biodiversity and ecosystem footprint framework was introduced to make nature impacts more measurable, comparable, and actionable across value chains - helping businesses link biodiversity considerations to strategy, sourcing, and reporting.
Applying LCA and eco-design in practice
Marina Isasa from Tecnalia explained that most environmental impacts are determined at the design stage and that lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a key tool to identify hotspots, guide product improvements, and integrate sustainability across value chains. Practical use-cases of LCAs were discussed responding to different business needs. These included internal product improvement, eco-design decisions, and external reporting, showing how businesses can reduce impacts and prioritise actions across material options, processes, and product lifecycles.
Integrating biodiversity into sourcing decisions: an Inter IKEA case
Per Ljungblad from Inter IKEA shared how the company integrates biodiversity into sourcing decisions for rattan, using partnerships, scientific data, and species identification to manage risks, improve traceability, and support sustainable material sourcing.
Turning biodiversity complexity into measurable insights
Sharon Stauffert from the University of Stuttgart introduced the Biodiversity and Ecosystem (BE) footprint, a framework designed to make biodiversity impacts measurable and compatible with LCA for more informed and consistent decision-making. The BE footprint combines biodiversity and ecosystem metrics, offering flexible assessment levels to help companies evaluate impacts across value chains despite data and complexity challenges.