Operationalizing transformative change for business in the context of nature positive

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) set a specific target for reducing the private sector’s negative impacts on biodiversity and increasing positive impacts, as part of efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, ‘Nature Positive’ is emerging as an ambitious rallying call for mainstreaming the GBF. Merely tinkering with business-as-usual will not deliver these ambitions, and so calls for transformative change in business's relationship with biodiversity are increasing. However, there remains a lack of clarity on how to operationalize transformative change in the context of Nature Positive and the GBF, particularly how to develop meaningful actions and targets. This gap risks confusion, greenwashing, and failure to achieve global goals. This perspective draws on existing literature on social change to offer a practical framework for understanding and operationalizing transformative change for business and nature. We define and describe the role of transformative change within a Nature Positive ambition and summarize different types and scales of actions that companies could take, which we illustrate with case study examples. This framework could help with planning coordinated and mutually reinforcing actions towards transformative change, setting ambitious targets, and holding companies accountable to ‘transformative’ claims. However, all such plans and claims should be founded on abatement of new and on-going negative impacts first and foremost through implementing the mitigation hierarchy. We invite companies to test our framework for their own planning, decision-making and disclosures, to drive transformative change for a safe and just future.