Corporate sustainability is entering a new phase. While climate commitments and net-zero targets have become common across industries, businesses are increasingly realizing that climate action alone cannot safeguard long-term economic stability. The degradation of ecosystems, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and land degradation are now recognized as direct business risks.
This transformation has led to the adoption of a scientific framework that helps organizations develop science-based targets for nature-related impacts on land, fresh water, oceans, and biodiversity. Instead of only emissions reduction, SBTN encourages companies to assess their entire relationship with nature and operate within planetary boundaries.
On the contrary, the question is simple for many organisations: which industries are able to get the most benefit from SBTN targets?
To some extent, all the sectors interact with the natural systems; however, certain industries have higher exposure to nature-related risks. Therefore, they are more likely to benefit from the adoption of SBTN frameworks.
Nature-Based Targets: Why Businesses Cannot Ignore Them
Today, supply chains and ecosystems are so intertwined that it is hard to think of goods or services that do not depend on the latter, directly or indirectly. Nature provides the foundation for industries not only through raw materials, water, and agricultural products but also ecosystem services.
The following cases illustrate how, at this moment, nature-related factors have an adverse effect on business performance:
- Decreased water availability has brought the industrial operations to a halt
- Commodity supply chains are disrupted by deforestation
- Loss of fertility has a negative impact on the yields of agricultural products
- Oceans and their ecosystem degradation are causing a drop in fisheries and coastal industries
Such challenges are the reason why more and more businesses are considering SBTN as a part of their sustainability initiatives.
The key difference between SBTN and the usual environmental pledges is that the latter normally disregard the fact that businesses cannot solve climate change in isolation from other environmental problems. SBTN, on the other hand, derives from a scientific approach that assists firms in pinpointing the environmental pressures they exert as well as the areas where interventions have the potential to bring about the greatest change.
Assessing the Importance of SBTN for Business Sustainability
Determining the industries that stand to gain the most entails understanding the primary objectives of SBTN. The framework lends support to science-based climate targets, and at the same time, it encourages corporate environmental strategies that are comprehensive and go beyond simple carbon accounting.
According to SBTN, an organization can:
- Analyse their resource use and dependency
- Detect environmentally sensitive areas within the supply chains
- Develop targets that are based on and do not exceed ecological limits
- Take environmentally friendly measures
- Quantify and communicate the results over time
Industries With the Highest Exposure to Nature-Related Risks
Some sectors rely heavily on natural resources and ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and land degradation. For these industries, adopting SBTN targets is a strategic necessity.
Key Industries That Benefit Most From SBTN Adoption
| Industry | Nature Dependencies | Strategic Benefits of SBTN |
| Agriculture & Food | Soil health, water availability, pollinators | Sustainable sourcing and resilient supply chains |
| FMCG | Agricultural raw materials and water use | Improved supplier accountability |
| Pharmaceuticals | Natural compounds and biodiversity resources | Protection of biological resource availability |
| Manufacturing | Water and energy resources | Resource efficiency and cost optimisation |
| Chemicals | Raw material extraction and pollution risks | Better environmental risk management |
| Oil & Gas | Land use, ecosystem disruption | Mitigation of environmental liabilities |
| Shipping & Logistics | Ocean health and coastal ecosystems | Sustainable maritime operations |
| Real Estate & Construction | Land use and ecosystem impact | Responsible land development |
These sectors experience direct environmental exposure across production processes, procurement networks, and supply chains. Implementing SBTN helps organisations in these industries systematically address these dependencies.
Agriculture and Food Systems
Agriculture is perhaps the sector most closely linked to nature. Soil fertility, water availability, biodiversity, and climate stability are the major factors that influence crop yield.
Problems like deforestation, soil degradation, and water scarcity are already impacting agricultural supply chains worldwide. Agricultural and food companies can set measurable targets to protect ecosystems and guarantee the availability of resources in the long run by implementing SBTN.
Here are some of the nature-based actions that SBTN can facilitate:
- Ceasing deforestation in the procurement of commodities
- Enhancing the methods of soil regeneration
- Minimising freshwater usage
- Sustaining biodiversity within agricultural landscapes
Manufacturing and Industrial Sectors
Manufacturers are frequently large users of raw materials and water. On the other hand, their production processes result in emissions and waste generation. With authorities stepping up warnings to these sectors, the pressure to control these impacts effectively is mounting.
For instance, water-saving procedures would be a priority for a manufacturing plant in a water-stressed area. At the same time, those productions with high material requirements can turn to circular economy strategies. SBTN helps identify such high-impact points of intervention both inside the operations and along the supply chain.
Setting industrial activities in harmony with ecological limits not only improves efficiency but also mitigates environmental risks in the long run.
Financial Institutions and Investors
Initially, financial institutions might seem to be less nature-dependent. Nevertheless, it is becoming more and more evident to those who work in banks, asset management, and insurance sectors that their investment portfolios hold nature-related risk exposure.
Company disruptions due to the ecosystem deterioration and biodiversity loss are some factors that could definitely affect the financial performance of multiple sectors. Financial institutions can integrate SBTN principles in portfolio assessments to gain profound knowledge about environmental dependencies and assess the investment resilience for a longer duration of time.
Moreover, such alignment is conducive to the institution meeting the expectations of stakeholders who require transparent disclosures of environmental risks.
SBTN: Industry-Specific Strategies Support
Different industries have different effects on natural ecosystems. With the help of the SBTN framework, companies can set the most proper targets for the particular environmental pressures of their sectors.
Industry-Specific Focus Areas in SBTN Implementation
| Industry | Priority Nature Areas | Example Target Actions |
| Agriculture | Soil, biodiversity, freshwater | Regenerative farming practices |
| Manufacturing | Water use and pollution | Water efficiency and waste reduction |
| Chemicals | Resource extraction and pollution | Sustainable sourcing and emission control |
| Logistics | Ocean ecosystems | Reduced marine pollution |
| Real Estate | Land use and habitat protection | Biodiversity-sensitive development |
| FMCG | Agricultural supply chains | Sustainable commodity sourcing |
By focusing on the most material environmental issues for each sector, SBTN ensures that corporate sustainability strategies remain both practical and scientifically grounded.
Regulatory and Market Drivers Accelerating Adoption
Another reason many industries are exploring SBTN adoption is the evolving regulatory environment. Governments and global organisations are introducing new reporting frameworks that require companies to disclose nature-related risks.
Examples include:
- Nature-related disclosure frameworks for financial institutions
- Sustainability reporting regulations in multiple regions
- Investor expectations for biodiversity and ecosystem impact reporting
Adopting SBTN helps companies prepare for these changes by establishing measurable targets and building reliable environmental data systems.
This proactive approach enables organisations to move from reactive compliance toward strategic environmental management.
Business Benefits That Go Beyond Just Following Rules
The benefits of SBTN far exceed just compliance with regulations. In fact, companies that set nature-based targets often stumble upon a whole range of strategic advantages.
Some of these benefits include:
- More resilient supply chains
- Far less vulnerability to climate-related risks
- Enhanced trust and credibility of the brand with stakeholders
- Easier access to green funds
- Ways to make operations more productive
The adoption of sustainability as a fundamental aspect of business operations will be recognized by using various frameworks, including SBTN, that enable companies to show credible, real actions rather than making vague environmental commitments.
Conclusion
SBTN adoption is not just confined to a handful of sustainability frontrunners. As knowledge on nature-related risks continues to spread, a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, finance, logistics, and real estate will be looking for the right tools to aid the setting of science-based nature targets.
Besides these, early SBTN adopters also significantly improve their understanding of the natural environment in which they operate, which helps them be in a position to predict and manage risks that may arise in the future. They also gain greater respect from investors, regulators, and other stakeholders who want to see tangible sustainability results.
Ultimately, SBTN facilitates the move of industries away from simple environmental pledges and toward the adoption of strategies that simultaneously safeguard business performance and natural ecosystems that support economic activities worldwide.
