Who we are

One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) is a unique international cross-sectorial, action-oriented business coalition on biodiversity with a specific focus on agriculture, initiated within French President Macron’s One Planet Lab framework, launched at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September 2019. The coalition is determined to drive transformational systemic change and catalyze action to protect and restore cultivated and natural biodiversity within the value chains, engage institutional and financial decision-makers, and develop and promote policy recommendations for the 2021 CBD COP15 framework.

Actions are focused around three pillars: scaling up regenerative agricultural practices; boosting cultivated biodiversity and diets through product portfolios; and eliminating deforestation / enhancing the management, restoration and protection high-value natural ecosystems.

OP2B members

Biodiversity is threatened and business is stepping up

Biodiversity for food and agriculture is indispensable to food security and sustainable development. It supplies many vital ecosystem services, such as creating and maintaining healthy soils, pollinating plants, controlling pests and providing habitat for wildlife, including for fish and other species that are vital to food production and agricultural livelihoods (FAO).

In many contexts and sectors, increased variability of genes, species and ecosystems is associated with greater biological productivity, resilience and consumer preference. Some examples include: biologically diverse soils are generally more productive for agriculture; crop genetic diversity is a key factor in maintaining disease resistance and yields; diverse tropical forests are locations to find novel genes and compounds pro agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical uses.

Business relies on biodiversity for:

• The resources they use such as food, fiber, medicinal plants for the food, textile and beauty sector
• Securing a steady flow of ecosystem services, such as pollination of crops, water filtration, waste decomposition, carbon sequestration and climate regulation worth around USD $125 trillion annually
• Healthy and prosperous societies in which to operate

Therefore, transforming our global agricultural model for food, textile and personal care is a core challenge and opportunity to bend the curves of biodiversity loss and climate change emissions, for a better and more inclusive agriculture system for society, farmers, consumers and citizens.

How OP2B supports biodiversity & systemic change

Business has a critical role to play to contribute to a sustainable and healthy food and land-use system and can lead the way to this transformation path for all by realizing actionable and scalable pathways.

Businesses with a strategic agriculture footprint are standing up for an important topic, as agriculture is responsible for 60% of biodiversity depletion. Those companies are determined to work individually and collectively: to take bold action to protect and restore cultivated and natural biodiversity within their value chains; and engage institutional and financial decision-makers, to develop and promote policy recommendations in the CBD COP 15 framework, to be held in China next year.

OP2B members believe collaborative action is instrumental to shift land use and agricultural practices, and to have a positive impact on biodiversity and ecological services they depend on. Over the past months, the coalition members have analyzed their value chains to identify the most impactful levers to protect and nurture biodiversity. This assessment led to a consensus on what the three main focus areas will be moving forward.

Reporting transparently on progress and impact

While the impact of work from the three pillars of the OP2B coalition will extend through to 2030, its members intend to demonstrate leadership progress by the 2020 Biodiversity COP15. These efforts will include:

• By June 2020: Develop a compendium of systemic, meaningful, measurable solutions that can be implemented by OP2B members in their value chains.
• At CBD COP15: Disclose ambitious, timebound science-based and measurable targets during CBD COP15, together with policy proposals that would help to deliver successful outcomes.