ISPO 2025: If your business relies on nature, then investing in nature is a business strategy.

The Business Case for Nature: Why Protecting Biodiversity Builds Brand Trust

ISPO Sustainability Stage: November 30, 2025.

The Business Case for Nature: Why Biodiversity Is Becoming a Brand Trust Accelerator. Dan Yates, General Manager EOCA, European Outdoor Conservation Association Fredrik Ekström, Brand Strategy and Consumer insights, Above The Clouds

This year at ISPO Munich, the Sustainability Stage brought together a lot of interesting conversations on carbon, circularity, innovation, and regulation. However, I hope that our contribution added a perspective. Together with Dan Yates, Executive Director of EOCA, we focused on a perspective that is often missing in the sustainability dialogue: Nature and Nature+ as a strategic business case.

Not CSR.

Not philanthropy.

But brand equity, consumer trust, and long-term relevance. All rooted in protecting the very core that outdoor culture and businesses depend on.

The session explored a simple truth:

If your business relies on nature, then investing in nature is a business strategy.

This text recaps what we discussed on stage, the consumer signals, the brand opportunities, and why Nature+ is becoming a defining trust driver for outdoor brands.

Why Nature+ Matters for Today’s Outdoor Consumer

For years, much of the sustainability conversation has focused on carbon and how much we emit, reduce, offset, and overproduce. That work remains essential. But at ISPO, we highlighted another, equally critical dimension: nature itself.

In The NXT Outdoor Consumer Germany 2025, protecting biodiversity ranks as the No.1 cause consumers want brands to support, ahead of renewable energy, clean water, and plastic cleanup. And the reason is simple: Nature loss is felt by people, not calculated.

People don’t always follow CO₂ metrics, but they do understand:

– the silence of missing birds

– shrinking seasons

– fewer pollinators

– empty forests

– disappearing wildlife

It’s emotional, immediate, and impossible to ignore.

Dan captured the commitment perfectly on stage:

“Protecting biodiversity isn’t a tick-box task; it’s a long-term commitment woven into your brand’s value chain.”

However, I think it’s important to note that Nature+ doesn’t compete with sustainability; it complements it. Where sustainability often deals with systems, structures, and long-term targets, Nature+ connects directly to the ecosystems, places, and species that are important and that consumers increasingly care about today.

It makes the abstract tangible.

It makes responsibility relatable.

It makes brand action visible. And that visibility is what turns trust into preference.

From CSR Checkbox to Cultural Currency

The consumer mindshift is important to understand.

People have moved from “a bug hotel is nice” to “if the bugs disappear, so do we.” A more holistic understanding of biodiversity is increasing in the head of the consumer.

This shift comes with new expectations and opportunities for brands.

Consumers now expect:

·       9 out of 10 want brands to support environmental organisations

·       6 out of 10 are willing to buy from brands that take a stand

·       5 out of 10 want to join in on relevant initiatives

·       Biodiversity is No. 1 in relevancy for the consumer

This is not passive support. Biodiversity has become participatory.

Outdoor brands have a unique responsibility here. If your business depends on access to wild places, protecting them isn’t philanthropy; it’s good business. It drives consumer preference and builds brand equity.

Nature as a New Proof Point

Consumers are fatigued by sustainability jargon and long-term promises. They want proof that they are visible, local, and with near-term impact. 80% agree on we are heading towards climate disaster Yet 72% feel they are already doing all they can. This conflict puts increasing pressure on brands to guide, nudge, and support.

“Without proof, it’s just poetry.”

Nature+ initiatives offer ways for brands to engage in exactly that:

·       forests restored

·       habitats protected

·       species supported

·       rivers cleaned

·       trails repaired

These outcomes are tangible. They build credibility. They earn trust. Which is why, increasingly, Nature+ is becoming a brand KPI, not just a sustainability measure.

The Risk Landscape: Why Nature Loss Is a Business Risk

In the talk, we mapped out the three types of risks brands face as nature degrades:

1. Physical risks

   Extreme weather, water scarcity, loss of wild spaces.

2. Transitional risks

   New legislation, rising consumer demands, and nature disconnection.

3. Systemic risks

   The unavoidable truth: There is no business on a dead planet.

Brands that respond to this build resilience, relevance, and long-term advantage.

The Nature+ Mind Map: A Tool for Turning Complexity Into Clarity

While it wasn’t part of our presentation, one resource from the Sustainability Hub at ISPO worth checking out was the Nature+ Mindmap, developed by Greenroom Voice and EOCA.

This tool gives brands a holistic yet deep understanding of: (my own interpretation; to get the full picture, reach out to Greenroom Voice or EOCA)

·       where their business intersects with nature

·       what risks and dependencies exist

·       how Nature+ links to consumer expectations

·       what kinds of actions create real impact

·       how to move from awareness to action

It’s a very practical framework available today for navigating Nature+

And on a personal note: I was genuinely happy to see that some insights from the Above The Clouds Future Series had been included (in a small way, but happy to contribute) within the mind-map’s structure. Greenroom Voice and EOCA did the hard work here.But seeing the Future Series contribute, even modestly, meant a lot.

If you’re serious about understanding Nature+ beyond slogans, this tool is worth exploring. Reach out to Greenroom Voice or EOCA for this.

From Challenge to Opportunity: How Brands Can Act Now

We closed the session with a simple framework for brands ready to take the next step, the five Nature+ starting points.

1. Define Your Nature+ Opportunity

   Map where your brand intersects with nature, through supply chains, product use, or consumer experience. Start where your impact is real and relevant.

2. Know Your Consumer Tensions

   Use insight to decode the emotional “itch” your consumers feel. Tap into their desires for action, not perfection, and speak to both heart and habit.

3. Turn Risk into Strategy

   See biodiversity loss not only as a threat but a future-proofing lens. Link physical, transitional, and systemic risks to business opportunities across departments.

4. Move From Claims to Commitments & Edu-tainment

   Ditch generic sustainability slogans. Align with authentic causes, support ecosystem-focused initiatives, and show your actions in progress—not just in policy.

5. Collaborate to Go Further

   Partner with NGOs like EOCA and insight partners like Above the Clouds. No solos, no silos; change happens faster when you share the load and the story.

If you want to take the next step

Reach out to EOCA

If you want support structuring or launching a Nature+ initiative, EOCA brings two decades of experience enabling brand-funded conservation projects around the world.

👉 dan@eocaconservation.org

Or reach out to Above The Clouds

If you want to decode your consumer tensions, understand your Nature+ opportunity, or turn insight into strategy, this is exactly what my Creative & Strategic Sprints are built for.

👉 fredrik@abovetheclouds.se

If you missed the ISPO session or want to refresh your memory, I hope this recap gives you a snack-portion of what we explored on stage.

If your business relies on nature, then investing in nature is a business strategy.