New York, 25 January 2023 - Eurasia Group and Suntory Holdings are proud to announce the launch of a report charting the path forward for businesses in devising corporate nature strategies with lasting impact in a post-COP15 world. Addressing Nature Loss in Asia: The Next Sustainability Challenge for Businesses explores how the continued erosion of nature is weakening prospects for long-term economic prosperity across Asia-Pacific, where nearly two-thirds of the region's GDP is at risk from nature loss.
The report is the culmination of a yearlong project, building on key learnings from a roundtable series in 2022 that explored the role of biodiversity in business today and a live digital event in December 2022 focused on the link between business sustainability and a healthy, living planet.
The report is a product of the Sustainability Leaders Council, an initiative created by Eurasia Group and Suntory in 2021 with a mission to position Asia as a leading force for change within the climate and sustainability sphere.
"Now that the full report is out, I hope businesses--particularly ones in Asia--will see this as a challenge to act urgently and creatively," said Suntory CEO Tak Niinami. "There is real risk here, but also real opportunity. Companies that seriously consider their responsibilities to nature have seen risks transformed into competitive gains, and that is something we want to highlight with this report."
"A healthy planet is critical for businesses to thrive sustainably. This report makes clear that companies don't operate in a vacuum, and they should care about biodiversity, not only for regulatory or reputational reasons, but increasingly for material and financial ones," said Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer. "We are proud to have partnered with Suntory in this effort to chart a path for businesses to help preserve the natural ecosystems they, their suppliers, their investors, and their customers existentially rely on."
The full report can be found here. Key takeaways and recommendations include:
- Businesses have a short window of opportunity to get ahead of the competition by acting now to manage biodiversity risks. Environmental awareness is particularly prevalent among Asian consumers, with 70% of people preferring to buy products from companies that respect biodiversity and people. Most people in China (92%), Vietnam (93%), and South Korea (85%) think that companies have a moral obligation to generate a positive impact on biodiversity and people through their sourcing of natural ingredients.
- Some estimates suggest nature-positive business opportunities in Asia-Pacific could generate $4.3 trillion by 2030--equivalent to 14% of the region's GDP.
- Asian businesses are highly dependent on the goods and services provided by nature, perhaps more so than firms on any other continent, placing them at particular risk of disruption from nature loss. For example, agriculture, fishing, and forestry accounts for over 90% of deforestation in Asia-Pacific, including 2.2 million hectares of tropical forest loss annually.
- A recommended first step for businesses is to conduct biodiversity screenings to develop a good understanding of where and how they interact with--and affect--nature. This requires taking time to identify dependencies at the direct operation level and repeating the exercise incrementally across the value chain. More quick wins for companies are detailed in the report:
https://www.eurasiagroup.net/files/upload/Addressing_Nature_Loss_in_Asia_EN.pdf
For more information or to schedule an interview with one of the report's authors, please contact media@eurasiagroup.net.
About Eurasia Group
Eurasia Group is the world's leading global political risk company. Its expertise includes developed and developing countries in every region of the world, specific economic sectors, and the business and investment playing fields of the future. With best-in-class advisory and consulting offerings, in addition to GZERO Media, the Eurasia Group umbrella provides the marketplace with a complete political risk solution. "Politics first" grounds the firm's work: It is the lens through which Eurasia Group views the world, shaping analysis that is free of political bias and the influence of private interests.
About Suntory Holdings
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products from premium spirits, beer, and wine to brewed teas, bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, and energy drinks--along with health and wellness products. Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu as well as iconic American spirits Jim Beam and Maker's Mark. Suntory also fascinates the taste buds with The Premium Malt's beer and owns the exceptional Japanese wine Tomi and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes Sauza Tequila, non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Ribena, BOSS coffee, Iyemon green tea, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, V, and BRAND'S as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $19.8 billion in 2021. Suntory is driven by Yatte Minaharthe spirit of bold ambition--and its 40,275 employees worldwide draw upon its unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
As a company that delivers blessings of water and nature to our customers, Suntory is committed to its mission to create harmony with people and nature. Always aspiring to grow for good, Suntory is devoted to giving back to society through protecting water resources, nurturing its communities and fostering the arts.