Why measuring your biodiversity footprint matters

In a context of accelerating biodiversity loss, measuring your biodiversity footprint is no longer optional for companies and financial institutions. The Global Biodiversity Score (GBS), developed by CDC Biodiversité, offers a transparent, robust and science-based method to assess both the negative and positive impacts of your activities on ecosystems.

From regulatory compliance to strategic decision-making, biodiversity footprint measurement helps you:

  • Integrate biodiversity into your ESG strategy, investment decisions and ESG risk management.
  • Identify and reduce biodiversity risks across your direct operations and supply chain.
  • Set biodiversity impact reduction targets, define trajectories aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework and monitor progress over time via
  • Comply with regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and more specifically the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS E4), the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) or the Sciences Based Targets Network (SBTN).
The Global Biodiversity Score: A science-based biodiversity footprint tool

The Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) quantifies corporate impacts and dependencies on biodiversity using a single aggregated metric: the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) and its surface equivalent in km² (MSA·km²).

Grounded in recognised scientific models and a peer-reviewed methodology, the GBS ensures transparency and clarity: the assumptions, data sources, and calculation steps are documented and consistent, enabling companies to trust and replicate their biodiversity footprint results. This enables:

  • Value chain coverage for direct operations (Scope 1), purchased energy (Scope 2), and upstream/downstream activities (Scope 3).
  • Detailed mapping of pressures such as land use, direct exploitation, climate change, and pollution.
  • Granular results by commodity, geography, and business unit, enabling companies to identify hotspots and prioritise actions.
  • Consistent reporting across sectors, with results benchmarked through sectoral reports that allow organisations to compare their performance with industry averages.
  • The GBS supports companies in defining impact reduction targets and trajectories and building biodiversity strategies aligned with global goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Who uses the GBS?

The GBS has been adopted by a growing ecosystem of stakeholders committed to nature-positive business transformation, including:
+200
organisations already using the GBS worldwide.

Corporate

Leaders in manufacturing, energy, distribution, agriculture, consumer goods, and services use the GBS to assess and reduce their biodiversity footprint.

Discover companies’ use cases
Financial Institutions

Banks, asset managers, and insurers apply the GBS to assess portfolio-level biodiversity impacts, participate in the construction of biodiversity funds, integrate nature-related risks, and meet disclosure requirements.

Discover financial institutions’ use cases
Consultancies

Specialised external assessors use the GBS to deliver biodiversity footprint assessments and ratings to their own clients.

Discover the GBS assessors
Academia and research

Universities and research centres integrate the GBS into studies, peer-reviewed publications, and methodology testing.

Discover our academic training path
Benefits of using the GBS

Reliable measurement of biodiversity impacts across the value chain.

Compatibility with international frameworks (SBTN, TNFD, GBF).

Actionable results for supply chain engagement and operational improvements.

Clear reporting metrics for investors, stakeholders, and regulators.

Benchmarking capability against sector peers.

Start your biodiversity footprint journey

Whether you are a corporate sustainability leader, a financial institution, or a public authority, the Global Biodiversity Score provides the foundation for evidence-based biodiversity action. By integrating the GBS into your strategy, you can move from commitment to measurable impact and concrete action, aligning your business with the global ambition to restore nature.

Discover offers
Ready to get started?

Join companies, financial institutions, and public authorities in measuring biodiversity impact with confidence.

Request a demo
Start your training