• Unified Standards Introduced: CDP and 20 leading landscape practitioners have released core criteria for impactful, scalable sustainability initiatives.
• Practical Guidance: A new publication provides a roadmap for stakeholders to assess the maturity of landscape initiatives and extend their sustainability impact beyond supply chains.
• Support for Strategic Decisions: Leveraging tools like geospatial tracking and CDP’s disclosures, these standards empower holistic approaches to sustainability challenges.

Collaborative Standards for Broader Sustainability

CDP and 20 prominent landscape practitioner organizations have come together to establish four core criteria for impactful and scalable landscape initiatives. This collaboration marks a significant step towards expanding sustainability efforts beyond conventional supply chain practices.

A Practical Guide for Stakeholders

The newly launched publication serves as a practical guide designed to help a wide range of stakeholders—including investors, governments, and supply chain leaders—assess the maturity and credibility of landscape initiatives. This blueprint is crafted to:

• Enhance Project Development: Provide a clear pathway for stakeholders looking to launch or refine sustainability projects.
• Facilitate Strategic Decision-Making: Utilize geospatial tools and CDP’s standardized disclosures to address complex sustainability challenges more effectively.

Rising Engagement in Landscape Initiatives

From 2020 to 2023, the number of companies disclosing their engagements in landscape and jurisdictional approaches (LA/JAs) surged from 27 to over 300. While this increase highlights growing corporate interest in holistic sustainability practices, the quality of these disclosures often falls short. In 2023, only 50% of the 309 engagements met CDP’s key criteria for maturity and credibility.

CDP’s Efforts to Bridge the Gap

To support stakeholders in improving their engagement quality, CDP introduced a credibility and maturity matrix, featured in the discussion papers ‘Core Criteria for Mature Landscape Initiatives’ and ‘Assessing the Credibility of Disclosed Corporate Engagements in Landscape and Jurisdictional Approaches’. These criteria have been adopted by various organizations to standardize best practices.

Key Gaps Identified in 2023 Disclosures:

• Insufficient Details: Around 100 disclosures lacked enough information to verify if they were credible landscape initiatives.
• Inadequate Scale: 208 engagements did not meet the criteria for demonstrating operations at a landscape scale, focusing instead on individual plots without considering broader land-use types.
• Governance Issues: 214 engagements did not show evidence of effective multi-stakeholder governance or processes.
• Collective Goals: 199 engagements failed to clarify how they contributed to collective goals beyond individual company objectives.
• Monitoring Frameworks: The most common challenge was the absence of a collective monitoring framework; 248 engagements did not provide evidence of such systems.

The Role of Capital Markets

The finance sector is pivotal for advancing landscape approaches by:

• Mitigating Risks: Integrating these approaches into investment strategies helps manage environmental risks.
• Unlocking Revenue: Engaging clients to invest in landscape initiatives can create new financial opportunities.

For more on this topic, see CDP’s report ‘Mobilizing Capital for Sustainable Landscapes’ and related publications.

Public-Private Action at Scale

Harmonized efforts between companies and governments are essential for the long-term success of landscape initiatives. Companies can play a crucial role by:

• Identifying High-Value Actions: Aligning engagement strategies with impactful practices.
• Contributing Financially: Private sector investment is vital as many regions rely heavily on government funding for landscape projects.

Effective Monitoring and Reporting

Tracking the progress of landscape initiatives is essential. CDP emphasizes the need for transparent monitoring frameworks to ensure these initiatives achieve their intended impact. Tools like LandScale and SourceUp can support companies and governments in robust reporting and data collection.

Next Steps for Stakeholders

As the relationship between climate, nature, and society becomes increasingly evident, CDP continues to evolve its questionnaire to align with best practices. Recent updates include:

• Clearer Data Collection: Differentiating high-level approaches from on-the-ground projects.
• Detailed Land Area Reporting: Requesting specific data about the scope of initiatives.
• Enhanced Reporting Claims: Integrating guidance from ISEAL to help companies report on their sustainability efforts and results.

Achieving Broader Sustainability Goals

Governments and companies aiming to meet their nature-related commitments—such as climate mitigation, deforestation reduction, and smallholder wellbeing—can leverage these new standards to elevate their sustainability strategies beyond supply chains.

Final Thought

This comprehensive resource from CDP and landscape experts provides a pathway for meaningful, strategic action that can lead to long-term sustainability impacts on a global scale.

Resources:

Guidance for companies
Guidance for States and regions

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