Embedding nature into business A primer for finance teams

This primer invites you, as a member of the finance team, to take action. Whether your focus is financial planning, reporting, risk management or strategy, it offers actionable insights to help you unlock long‑term business value while shaping a future that works with nature, not against it. By linking nature‑related information to your activities, processes and tools, you can make nature‑related risks and opportunities visible, manageable and integrated into every decision your organisation makes.

This document has been developed by ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) as an output of A‑Track, a four‑year, €11 million project that aims to accelerate transformative action for nature by business, financial institutions and government. The focus is on equipping finance teams with practical tools and insights to integrate nature considerations into their core activities and processes.

Future work by ICAEW in the A‑Track project will build on this foundation, developing additional targeted resources, case studies and training opportunities to support finance and accounting professionals in their daily work.

Nature is no longer a corporate social responsibility issue but a core and strategic risk management issue alongside climate change. It needs to be brought into the strategy, risk management and capital allocation decisions of business and finance, with fully integrated climate and nature considerations.

(Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures, 2023)

The primer’s key messages provide practical guidance on recognising risks, seizing opportunities and taking actionable steps to embed environmental considerations across all aspects of finance. 

• Recognise nature‑related risks as financial risks: nature‑related risks – such as water scarcity, biodiversity loss, evolving regulation, and changing consumer preferences – can affect financial performance and business viability. When organisations overlook these risks, they expose operations, supply chains and investments to potentially material financial vulnerabilities.
• Unlock new opportunities through nature‑positive strategies: by proactively identifying and managing nature‑related risks – and seizing emerging market opportunities – organisations can protect long‑term value, create new revenue streams, build resilience, enhance competitiveness and contribute to nature’s recovery.
• Champion finance’s capacity to drive sustainability: finance professionals hold the levers of change. By bringing nature into finance processes alongside other business‑critical issues such as cyber risk, climate change and ethics, finance teams can steer their organisations towards sustainable growth. Championing this role ensures that financial decisions contribute to business success in harmony with the natural world.
• Integrate nature into all finance activities: embedding nature into every aspect of finance transforms how decisions are made. By encouraging a mindset that values environmental considerations, this primer helps connect practical guidance to budgeting, forecasting, risk management and performance measurement. Integrating nature into financial thinking creates a culture that values economic, social and ecological outcomes.
• Collaborate for impactful outcomes: meaningful change depends on collaboration. When finance and sustainability teams work together, they can design solutions that deliver measurable financial returns while improving environmental performance. Cross‑functional partnerships ensure that nature is embedded across the organisation’s decision‑making landscape.
• Use natural‑capital assessment and accounting tools: applying natural‑capital tools can help connect nature‑related and financial information, complementing existing systems and processes (e.g., carbon accounting and enterprise risk management). These tools enable finance teams to identify, quantify and value nature‑related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities, ensuring that business decision‑making and reporting reflects both the value nature contributes to the business and the business’s impacts on nature and wider society.
• Advance towards a nature‑positive future: every step counts towards transforming business as usual. Start by trialling innovative approaches, strengthening data quality and controls, and enhancing nature‑related disclosures. Each action builds organisational resilience and moves you closer to a future in which nature‑based considerations are standard in every financial decision.

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales