New Corporate Focus On Biodiversity Blahblah CEOs Recognize Key Ecosystems Blahblahblah - NYT

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More and more companies are making noteworthy efforts to minimize damage to the environment from their activities, according to a report on business and biodiversity issued on Tuesday. The report said that Wal-Mart, for example, had sought to eliminate “excess product packaging,” reducing its disposal expenses while increasing its customer numbers and business revenues. The mining company Rio Tinto has made progress by starting offset projects in Madagascar, Australia and North America, news-media materials accompanying the report said. The energy company BC Hydro was singled out for a policy of “no net incremental ecological impact,” and Coca-Cola aims to become “water neutral” by 2020, the materials said.

The study is part of a series titled The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, a joint initiative by industrialized nations and the United Nations Environment Program intended to draw attention to the global economic benefits of fostering biodiversity. The group plans to present a synthesis report in October at a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan.

The report said that markets for services that benefit biodiversity and ecosystems were growing – a sign that businesses and consumers are more prepared to counter the negative effects of commerce on the environment. Citing data compiled by Forest Trends and Ecosystem Marketplace, it projected that the market for agricultural products certified as posing no threat to biodiversity would be worth $210 billion by 2020, compared with $40 billion in 2008.

Offset projects like wetland banking in the United States or “bio-banking” in Australia will rise to $10 billion in 2020 from $3 billion in 2008, the study suggested, while projects to offset carbon dioxide emissions by preserving forests will be worth $10 billion by 2020, compared with $21 million in 2006.

EDIT

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/biodiversity-inches-up-on-corporate-agenda/