The biodiversity questionnaire – are you ready?

         A. People

1.

What level of understanding do the leaders of your business have about the biodiversity- and nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities of your business?   

H / M / L

2.

What level of skills do the leaders of your business have to manage and address those dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities?

Might they require additional training to address these issues?

H / M / L

Y / N

3.

What level of clarity is there in your business structure regarding governance of biodiversity-related issues and their interaction with operational, financial, ESG, climate and other relevant considerations?

H / M / L

4.

Do teams other than the environmental/sustainability team have a defined role in managing or coordinating on biodiversity issues?

Y / N

5.

What level of training does your business give employees on biodiversity-related issues?

H / M / L

6.

Does your business communicate its biodiversity policies and objectives to employees, and communicate its compliance with or progress against any biodiversity objectives or commitments?

Y / N

7.

Are your employees encouraged to raise biodiversity concerns?

Y / N

8.

Does your business have a whistleblowing policy in place to protect employees who raise concerns regarding biodiversity issues?

Y / N

         B. Policies

9.

Has your business set procedures for identifying, assessing, addressing, and reporting on its biodiversity-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities?

Y / N

10.

If so, to what extent has your business considered alignment with relevant standards set by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, the International Financial Reporting Standards S1 (general requirements for disclosures of sustainability-related financial information), the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and Global Reporting Initiative 304?

H / M / L

11.

To what extent are material biodiversity-related risks and opportunities linked to financial risks and to directors’ duties in your company’s governance structure?

H / M / L

12.

To what extent are the current data collection and data analysis capabilities of your business effective in understanding and managing biodiversity matters?

H / M / L

13.

To what extent has your business developed a strategy for reducing its key biodiversity impacts and dependencies or addressing biodiversity risks and opportunities?

H / M / L

14.

If so, to what extent is this strategy integrated with your business’ broader objectives, decision-making, and governance framework?

H / M / L

15.

Has your business set science-based, measurable, actionable, and time-bound targets to reduce any of its biodiversity impacts and dependencies?

H / M / L

16.

If so, do these targets cover all aspects of your business' interactions with biodiversity, including pollution, waste management, climate change and water?

Y / N

17.

What level of engagement does your business currently have with stakeholders about biodiversity-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities of the business?

H / M / L

18.

Has your business partnered with other organisations to collaborate on addressing biodiversity-related risks and pursuing opportunities?

Y / N

19.

To what extent has your business reviewed its professional associations, memberships and lobbying activities to consider alignment with the biodiversity objectives and strategy of your business? 

H / M / L

​       C. Operations

20.

To what extent has your business assessed which stages or activities of its operations have the greatest impacts and dependencies on biodiversity?

H / M / L

21.

What level of analysis has your business done regarding upstream biodiversity interactions including from sourcing of its materials?

H / M / L

22.

What level of analysis has your business done regarding downstream biodiversity impacts including end-of-life of outputs or products?

H / M / L

23.

If your business relies on biodiversity-rich inputs, to what extent has your business put in place contingency plans in case those inputs become limited or unavailable?

H / M / L

24.

If your business activities (including manufacturing and distribution) may result in biodiversity harms, to what extent has your business put in place measures to avoid, minimise or mitigate such harms?  

H / M / L

25.

If your business activities may result in biodiversity harms, to what extent has your business identified opportunities to offset such impacts, including verification and reporting on offset effectiveness?

H / M / L

26.

To what extent has your business adopted a circular economy approach to reducing its impacts on biodiversity?

H / M / L

27.

Has your business identified any easy wins or pilot projects that may assist in developing a broader biodiversity strategy for the business?

H / M / L

       D. Locations

28.

To what extent has your business assessed its biodiversity-related risks and opportunities in each location in which it operates?  

H / M / L

29.

To what extent has your business assessed regulatory and transition risk arising from current and foreshadowed environmental regulation in each location in which it operates?

H / M / L

30.

To what extent has your assessment of biodiversity-related risks and opportunities had specific regard to the context of the industry in which your business operates?

H / M / L

31.

If your business operates near, or may impact on, an environmentally sensitive area, to what extent has your business put in place measures to address this?

H / M / L

32.

To what extent has your business considered the potential for climate change to increase the biodiversity-related risks arising in a particular location, region or affecting an industry in which it operates?

H / M / L