Best examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains

Real‑world examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains

Let’s start where most sustainability reports don’t: with specific, operational examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains, not vague promises.

Across food, fashion, tech, and finance, the best examples share three traits:

• They change how suppliers are paid or contracted.
• They measure biodiversity outcomes, not just acres “touched.”
• They are embedded in core supply chain decisions, not side projects.

Regenerative agriculture in food and beverage: from pilots to procurement rules

Food and beverage is where you’ll find some of the clearest examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains because biodiversity loss directly hits yields, soil fertility, and water risk.

One widely cited example of this shift is Nestlé’s move toward regenerative agriculture across key ingredients such as coffee, cocoa, and dairy. Nestlé has committed to source 20% of its key ingredients through regenerative practices by 2025 and 50% by 2030, tying payments to practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and agroforestry. These practices increase habitat diversity on farms, improve soil structure, and boost pollinator populations. While Nestlé’s reporting is corporate, the real action is in its long‑term contracts that reward farmers who maintain tree cover and diversify crops.

Another strong case is General Mills’ regenerative agriculture program on over one million acres of farmland for ingredients like wheat and oats. The company tracks soil health, insect diversity, and water outcomes in partnership with farmers and NGOs. This is a real example of biodiversity integration where procurement teams prioritize suppliers who can show measurable improvements in soil organic matter and on‑farm habitat, not just volume and price.

For a more data‑driven view of how agriculture affects biodiversity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and related research programs provide background on soil health and ecosystem services in working lands (usda.gov). While not brand‑specific, this science underpins many of these supply chain programs.

Cocoa and palm oil: landscape and jurisdictional approaches

Cocoa and palm oil have long been biodiversity villains. But they also offer some of the best examples of companies trying to integrate biodiversity into supply chain decisions at a landscape scale.

In cocoa, companies like Mars and Mondelez are moving beyond farm‑by‑farm certification to landscape programs in West Africa. These programs combine:

• Supplier mapping and deforestation‑free sourcing.
• Payments for maintaining shade trees and forest patches.
• Community agreements on land use and restoration.

Instead of just banning deforestation, these initiatives pay farmers to keep biodiversity‑rich habitat standing, while still producing cocoa. That’s a practical example of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains where conservation is baked into sourcing criteria and farmer income models.

In palm oil, Unilever and several peers are investing in jurisdictional approaches in Indonesia and Malaysia. Rather than only auditing individual plantations, they work with local governments to set land‑use plans that protect high conservation value (HCV) and high carbon stock (HCS) areas, while channeling demand to producers that comply. This shifts biodiversity from a farm‑level checkbox to a regional supply chain requirement.

Fashion and apparel: biodiversity through materials and farming systems

Fashion brands are increasingly expected to show examples of how they protect biodiversity in their cotton, wool, leather, and rubber supply chains.

Patagonia is often pointed to as one of the best examples in this space. Its organic cotton and Regenerative Organic Certified™ programs integrate biodiversity criteria directly into sourcing. Farmers are required to use crop rotations, mixed cropping, and habitat buffers that support beneficial insects and birds. Patagonia then builds marketing, pricing, and long‑term contracts around these practices.

Another real example is Kering’s biodiversity strategy. The luxury group has developed a “biodiversity strategy roadmap” and uses an Environmental Profit & Loss (EP&L) tool to measure the impacts of raw material sourcing on ecosystems. Kering invests in regenerative agriculture projects for wool and leather, paying producers to restore grasslands and riparian zones. This is not just philanthropy; the results influence material selection and supplier relationships across its brands.

Fashion supply chains also intersect with broader biodiversity science. The Intergovernmental Science‑Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provides global assessments on biodiversity decline and drivers (ipbes.net), which many brands use as a reference point for their risk assessments and target setting.

Tech and electronics: rare earths, metals, and habitat restoration

Tech companies are quieter about biodiversity, but the mining of cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earths has major ecosystem impacts. Here, the examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains look different.

Apple, for instance, has focused on reducing demand for newly mined materials through product design and recycling. Its move to use 100% recycled cobalt in batteries for certain products by 2025 is a real example of biodiversity integration: by shrinking the need for new mines in sensitive regions, Apple indirectly reduces pressure on habitats. This is a design‑stage supply chain decision with biodiversity implications.

On the extraction side, some mining companies supplying tech and automotive firms are piloting biodiversity net gain projects. This can include restoring degraded land to higher ecological value than before mining, creating wildlife corridors, and funding long‑term monitoring. While performance varies widely, these pilots are early examples of how biodiversity metrics can be written into offtake agreements and supplier performance reviews.

Shipping and logistics: nature‑positive routes and port operations

Biodiversity in logistics is often overlooked, but shipping routes, port construction, and ballast water all affect marine ecosystems.

One example of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains comes from companies that are rerouting shipping lanes to avoid sensitive marine mammal habitats. Several major retailers and logistics providers have partnered with NGOs and research institutions to adjust routes and speeds in areas with high whale activity, reducing ship strikes and underwater noise.

Ports are also experimenting with biodiversity‑friendly infrastructure. Some are installing “living shorelines” and nature‑based coastal defenses instead of concrete seawalls, which provide habitat for fish, shellfish, and marine plants. When a brand chooses ports or logistics partners that adopt these practices—and writes those preferences into contracts—that becomes a concrete supply chain decision linked to biodiversity.

Finance and procurement: biodiversity‑linked loans and KPIs

One of the most promising examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains is the rise of nature‑linked finance. Banks and investors are starting to issue sustainability‑linked loans where interest rates depend on meeting biodiversity targets in the borrower’s supply chain.

For instance, an agribusiness might receive a lower rate if it restores a set number of acres of riparian habitat, increases tree cover on farms, or achieves verified no‑conversion of natural ecosystems in its sourcing regions. These targets are then translated into supplier requirements and procurement policies.

Meanwhile, large consumer goods companies are adding biodiversity KPIs to supplier scorecards. Instead of only tracking on‑time delivery and quality, they assess:

• Percentage of volume from deforestation‑free or no‑conversion areas.
• Acres under regenerative or agroforestry systems.
• Presence of pollinator‑friendly practices.

These are not always headline‑grabbing, but they are powerful real examples of how procurement teams can embed biodiversity into day‑to‑day supplier management.

Guidance from initiatives like the Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is shaping how companies assess and report these risks and opportunities (tnfd.global). TNFD’s framework is quickly becoming a reference point for investors asking for better biodiversity integration in supply chains.

2024–2025 trends shaping biodiversity in supply chains

By 2024–2025, several trends are pushing companies to move from pilots to scale—and creating more examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains that others can learn from.

Regulation is catching up. The EU’s Deforestation‑free Products Regulation (EUDR) and similar policies are forcing importers of soy, beef, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and rubber to prove their products are not linked to recent deforestation. While this is framed as a climate and forest issue, it directly affects biodiversity, and it’s driving massive investment in traceability, satellite monitoring, and supplier engagement.

Data and tech are getting better. Satellite imagery, AI‑driven land‑use analysis, and biodiversity monitoring tools are making it easier to see where supply chains intersect with high‑value ecosystems. This enables more targeted interventions—like focusing regenerative agriculture programs on watersheds with high species richness or high erosion risk.

Investors are asking tougher questions. Large asset managers and banks are beginning to treat biodiversity loss as a financial risk, not just a reputational one. They’re looking for examples of concrete actions: hectares restored, species protected, and measurable outcomes linked to supply chain decisions.

Companies are tying pay to nature outcomes. A growing number of firms are linking executive compensation or procurement bonuses to climate and nature metrics. When biodiversity‑related KPIs (like deforestation‑free sourcing or acres under regenerative management) affect bonuses, you get more serious, scaled examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains instead of small pilots.

How to build your own innovative biodiversity integration strategy

If you’re trying to move from high‑level commitments to real examples in your own operations, the leading companies suggest a few practical steps:

Start with your top‑impact commodities or materials. Most biodiversity risk sits in a handful of raw materials—often agricultural or forest‑based inputs. Map where they come from, what ecosystems they touch, and what regulations apply.

Choose one or two flagship landscapes. Instead of spreading small projects everywhere, pick priority regions where you can align with local stakeholders, governments, and NGOs. This is where landscape or jurisdictional approaches shine.

Translate goals into procurement rules. If you want to show examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains, your purchasing contracts need to reflect that. This could mean:

• Requiring no‑conversion of natural ecosystems after a certain cut‑off date.
• Paying premiums for diversified cropping systems or agroforestry.
• Preferring logistics providers that use nature‑based coastal defenses or wildlife‑safe routing.

Measure outcomes, not just activities. Track indicators like tree cover, habitat quality, pollinator presence, soil organic matter, or species richness where possible. Partner with universities or NGOs if you don’t have internal expertise. Academic institutions such as the University of California system and other land‑grant universities often publish methods and case studies on agricultural biodiversity and ecosystem services (ucanr.edu as an example of extension resources).

Communicate with evidence. When investors or customers ask for examples of your biodiversity integration, be ready with specific numbers, locations, and supplier stories—not just policies.

FAQ: examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains

Q1. What are some concrete examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains?
Concrete examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains include regenerative agriculture contracts that pay farmers for maintaining tree cover and habitat diversity; cocoa sourcing programs that reward farmers for keeping forest patches intact; fashion brands that require biodiversity‑friendly grazing and cropping practices for wool and cotton; tech companies reducing demand for newly mined metals by designing for recycled inputs; shipping companies rerouting vessels to avoid whale habitats; and banks offering biodiversity‑linked loans where interest rates depend on habitat restoration or no‑conversion targets.

Q2. Which sectors offer the best examples of biodiversity integration today?
Agriculture and food, forestry, fashion, and consumer goods still provide the best examples because their supply chains are directly tied to land use. However, mining, tech, and logistics are starting to produce real examples as they confront the biodiversity impacts of extraction, infrastructure, and transport.

Q3. How can a company create its own example of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains?
Start by identifying your highest‑impact materials and sourcing regions, then set clear biodiversity goals—such as no‑conversion of natural ecosystems, increased tree cover, or restored riparian zones. Build those goals into supplier contracts and finance mechanisms, measure outcomes with credible methods, and publish the results. Over time, these projects become real examples you can point to when stakeholders ask for proof.

Q4. Where can I find more data and guidance on biodiversity and supply chains?
For science and policy context, IPBES (ipbes.net) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd.int) provide global assessments and frameworks. For risk and disclosure guidance, the Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures (tnfd.global) offers a fast‑evolving framework that many investors and companies are starting to follow.

Q5. Are biodiversity projects outside the supply chain still valuable?
Yes, off‑site conservation and restoration projects can deliver real ecological benefits and community value. But if you want strong, credible examples of innovative biodiversity integration in supply chains, you need to show how biodiversity is influencing sourcing, procurement, product design, and logistics—not just philanthropy or volunteering.