Approach to biodiversity
We consider biodiversity impacts on financial markets, and our public Statement on Biodiversity describes our commitment and approach to addressing biodiversity loss.
We recognize the need to protect the range of habitats and species on Earth and to safeguard the natural ecological processes and the livelihoods they support. Through our role as an intermediary between the economy, the environment, and society, we seek to playing our part in addressing biodiversity loss. We aim to help clients understand the risks from biodiversity loss and identify the opportunities associated with the conscientious management of natural capital and the conservation of biodiversity.
We acknowledge the risks that arise from biodiversity loss as well as the impacts to biodiversity that may arise from our role as a financial services provider. Our long-term success is dependent on managing risks and opportunities, such as those related to ecosystem restoration. Our success is also dependent on ensuring that we have a responsible approach toward the way we run our business.
What is biodiversity?
The term biodiversity denotes the variety of life and its processes. It includes the diversity of living organisms, the differences between them, and the ecosystems and communities in which they exist. Both ecosystems and the biodiversity contained within them provide valuable services to humankind and business: They supply food and medicine derived from plants, they filter pollution and store CO2, mitigate the impacts of storms and floods and they regenerate soils and recycle nutrients.
The business case for conserving biodiversity
Biodiversity loss is serious and poses significant risks to financial markets. More than half the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services, according to the World Economic Forum.
Why biodiversity matters
A healthy biodiversity maintains ecosystems, which in turn clean the water, purify the air, maintain the soil, regulate the climate, recycle nutrients, and provide food. Biodiversity is one of the foundations of our economy and a essential natural support system for life on Earth.
What is Credit Suisse doing about biodiversity?
Our approach distinguishes three levels at which our activities may impact, or be impacted by biodiversity and this informs what we do to address biodiversity loss:
- managing the risks that arise from biodiversity loss as well as the impacts to biodiversity that may arise from our role as a financial services provider;
- facilitating the management of biodiversity through our engagement with stakeholders and by mobilizing capital to address biodiversity loss and for conservation; and
- reducing the footprint of our operations.
We complement this with biodiversity-related engagement and thought leadership.
Statement on Biodiversity
To preserve natural habitats, which are vital to all life on Earth, there is a need to put significantly more capital to work. Conservation finance can play an important role in making sure that biodiversity is preserved on land and in water and in protecting the health of natural ecosystems.
Engagement is a pillar of active ownership at Credit Suisse. We include biodiversity and species conservation in our thematic engagement activities.
Biodiversity-related issues are embedded into our sustainability risk assessments and included in our sector-specific policies and guidelines, where we prioritize high biodiversity risk sectors such as agriculture.