Toolkit: Onboarding Nature

I see bringing nature onto the board as a hopeful and practical step in reimagining how businesses can thrive. Reports in The Guardian and trend forecasters like WGSN and LSN Global have shown how consumers and communities are increasingly expecting companies to take biodiversity and planetary health seriously. Rather than treating nature as an externality, putting it at the centre of decision-making helps boards stay ahead of evolving expectations and connect with people in more authentic ways. It’s also a smart move — as Forbes and Deloitte highlight, more than half of global GDP depends on healthy ecosystems, meaning the wellbeing of business and the wellbeing of nature are inseparable. By inviting nature’s perspective into governance, we move towards decisions that are resilient, future-focused, and in tune with the world we all share.

This is where the B Corp movement offers such a positive framework. As a community committed to accountability, purpose, and people-planet impact, B Corps are already set up to explore new models like Faith in Nature’s pioneering appointment of a Nature Director. The Onboarding Nature toolkit shows there are many achievable pathways — whether it’s recognising nature as a shareholder, adviser, or director — and these approaches make sustainability feel tangible, not abstract. To me, this is an inspiring way to reimagine business: a vision where boardrooms are not only spaces of profit and strategy, but also guardianship, care, and creativity for the common good.

Some inspiring examples are already showing what’s possible. Faith in Nature, a UK B Corp, made history by appointing a Nature Director to its board — giving the natural world a legal voice in corporate decisions. Since then, the idea has spread: companies like Onboarding Nature are working with pioneers across Europe and beyond to test models of nature as adviser, shareholder, or director. These early adopters are demonstrating that recognising nature at the highest level of governance can spark innovation, strengthen stakeholder trust, and guide businesses toward decisions that create lasting environmental and social value. The positive impact is twofold: it helps protect ecosystems while also future-proofing companies by aligning them with the values and expectations of customers, employees, and communities who want to see business as a genuine force for good.

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