| 69 |
SourceUp |
n/a |
IDH |
Agricultural commodities |
Platform |
SourceUp is a platform linking agri-commodity companies in producing regions and stakeholders. The aim is to collaboratively create a more transparent supply chain through the sharing of accurate data. |
High |
Yes |
Production site level |
Production sites, commodities |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://sourceup.org/ |
| 68 |
Business and biodiversity offsets Program (BBOP) |
Act |
Forest Trends |
Any sector |
Framework |
The Business and biodiversity offsets Program (BBOP) sets out best practice principles for biodiversity offset design and implementation. BBOP defines biodievrsity offsets as ‘measurable conservation outcomes of actions designed to compensate for significant residual adverse biodiversity impacts arising from project development after appropriate prevention and mitigation measures have been taken'. The Program designed an eight step framework for biodiversity offset design that helps developers satisfy the BBOP Principles. |
Low |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
n/a |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
No |
https://www.forest-trends.org/bbop/bbop-key-concepts/biodiversity-offsets/ |
| 67 |
Natural Climate Solutions World Atlas |
Act |
Nature4Climate |
Any sector |
Interactive tool |
The Natural Climate Solutions World Atlas is a global interactive map demonstating the potential for Natural Climate Solutions, alongside emissions reductions, to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. Natural Climate Solutions are nature-based solutions focused on climate change mitigation. The Atlas helps stakeholders understand the role of nature in mitigating climate change through activities that enhance the protection, restoration, and management of natural and working lands. It also displays the cost of potential action in USD/CO2e. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
n/a |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://nature4climate.org/n4c-mapper/ |
| 66 |
Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities |
Act |
WRI |
Any sector |
Interactive tool |
The Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities is an interactive map which aims to help stakeholders identify opportunities for forest and landscape restoration. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
n/a |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://www.wri.org/data/atlas-forest-and-landscape-restoration-opportunities |
| 65 |
Biodiversity Guidance Navigation Tool |
Prioritise, measure, set, disclose |
Capitals Coalition and UNEP-WCMC |
Any sector |
Interactive tool |
The Biodiversity Guidance Navigation Tool was developed to guide users through a biodiversity-inclusive natural capital assessment. This follows the steps outlined in the Natural Capital Protocol; Frame, Scope, Measure and Value and Apply. The tool signposts a number of biodiversity-specific tools, resources, and methodologies to assist with the assessment. The tool takes users through a series of questions to assist with a biodiversity-inclusive natural capital assessment. |
Medium |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
n/a |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Yes - provided inputs to tool are updated accordingly |
https://capitalscoalition.org/tools/navigation-tool/ |
| 64 |
Guidelines for planning and monitoring coprorate biodiversity performance |
Prioritise, measure, set, disclose, act, track |
IUCN |
Any sector |
Framework |
The Guidelines for planning and monitoring coprorate biodiversity performance assist companies in developing strategic biodiversity plans. This includes a set of objectives/goals along with indicators to measure progress. The guidance is focused around four stages; identifying priorities, setting ambitions, identifying indicators and implementation. The guidelines are aimed at the corporate level but should be informed by activities on the ground and throughout the supply chain. |
Medium |
No, but recommended |
n/a |
Company operations, commodities, products and supply chains to identify the pressures |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/49301 |
| 63 |
One Planet Approach |
Set |
Metabolic |
Any sector |
Framework |
After evaluating methods and models for identifying key tipping points Metabolic and WWF defined an eight-step process to aid companies in setting relevant sustainability targets for operating within our planetary boundaries. These 8 steps inlcude: defining the sustainability objective, identifying underlying system processes, mapping the relevant system dynamics, defining boundaries or operating space, determining the extent of the agent's activities, quantifying the flows attributed to the agent's activities, assessing the impact on the operating space, selecting an allocation principle. Approaches should be context dependent and applications for companies and countries will be different. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Supply chain information |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://www.metabolic.nl/projects/wwf-one-planet-approaches/ |
| 62 |
Biodiversity Benchmark |
n/a |
Textile Exchange |
Textile production |
Survey |
The Biodiversity Benchmark aims to enable companies to better understand their impacts and dependencies on nature in terms of their materials sourcing, create a plan for delivering positive biodiversity outcomes, and benchmark their progress. |
High |
Yes |
Unclear |
Still in Beta phase (survey is not open access) |
Register for access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://mci.textileexchange.org/biodiversity/ |
| 61 |
Accountability Framework (AFI) |
Assess, set, track |
Coalition of organizations |
Any sector |
Framework |
The Accountability Framework aims to aid companies in achieving values chains free from deforestation, conversion, and human rights violations. The framework can be used to assess company policies and systems against best practices, and as a resource to support the improvement processes. |
Medium |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
Commodities, company activities, location of production/sourcing, types of suppliers, business units or affiliates |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
No |
https://accountability-framework.org/ |
| 59 |
LCA approaches |
Assess,Interpret,Measure |
n/a |
Any sector |
Methodology |
LCA (Life Cylce Assessment) is a method used to quantify the potential impacts of a product or service throughout its lifecylce, from raw material extraction through processing, manufacture, distribution, and use/disposal. An LCA study requires a thorough inventory of energy and materials needed throughout the products or services value chain. It then calculates the corresponding environmental emissions and impacts. |
High |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
Material and energy flows |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
Yes - provided inputs to tool are updated accordingly |
|
| 58 |
Life Key |
Assess,Interpret,Measure |
Lasting Initiative for Earth (LIFE) |
Any sector |
Commercial service |
Life Key web tool is a management system which allows for users to analyse their environmental management system, compare between business units, assess action plans focused on biodiversity and measure, assesses and compare the positive and negative impact of the company on natural capital. |
Medium |
unclear |
|
Not specified |
Commercial |
Unclear |
Yes - provided inputs to tool are updated accordingly |
https://institutolife.org/o-que-fazemos/software-de-gestao-life-key/ |
| 57 |
Cotton Connect |
n/a |
n/a |
Textile production |
Commercial service |
Cotton connect takes a holistic approach for a more sustainable supply chain. They aim to assist companies in accessing sustainable cotton through their traceability software tool TraceBale which provides visibility throughout cotton supply chain.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://www.cottonconnect.org/our-services#supply |
| 56 |
ChainPoint |
n/a |
n/a |
Any sector |
Commercial service |
ChainPoint monitors and secures supply chains by using blockchain technology. It covers the entire value chain, from raw material to finished product. It aims to enable companies to improve sustainability and quality while reducing associated cost and risk. The platform functions across any supply chain or commodity.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://www.chainpoint.com/industries/sustainable-textile-apparel-solutions/ |
| 55 |
Bext360 platform |
n/a |
n/a |
Agricultural commodities, Forestry |
Commercial service |
Bext360 facilitates accountability for critical supply chains though the Software as a service (SaaS) platform. Data is collected at each step in the supply chain and blockchained for traceability and quantifiable measurements for sustainability. This tool focuses on high impact supply chains such as coffee, seafood, timber, minerals, cotton and palm oil.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://fashionforgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Fashion-for-Good-Organic-Cotton-Traceability-Pilot-Report.pdf |
| 53 |
Textiles Genesis |
n/a |
n/a |
Textile production |
Commercial service |
TextileGenesis is a traceability platform for apparel companies. It aims to facilitate transparency from fibre through to retail to improve the sustainability of textiles. The platform grew from foundational discussions with stakeholders across the value chain, such as fiber producers, fabric mills, dyeing house, cut & sew, to retail brands. It aims to provide transparency from fiber-to-retail and protect brand reputation against fakes. n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://textilegenesis.com/ |
| 52 |
SourceTrace |
n/a |
n/a |
Agricultural commodities |
Commercial service |
SourceTrace uses digital solutions such as farm management software, agriculture data management and food traceability solutions to supply chain management. From farm to retail SourceTrace enables users to trace the agricultural and food value chain, enabling full visibility. This facilitates sustainable farming, efficient supply chains and transparency and tracablity in the agricultural and food sector across 32 countries.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://www.sourcetrace.com/ |
| 51 |
Sourcemap |
n/a |
n/a |
Any sector |
Commercial service |
Sourcemap enables brands to access company-specific metrics and performance indicators to improve their understanding of their supply chain. These performance indicators cover sustainability, social compliance and performance and risk. Sourcemap also allows users to to collect new information from the sub-tiers of the supply chain by creating customised cascading Requests for Information (RFI). This enables companies to quickly and accurately map their supply chain through geo-visualisations and network diagrams.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Commercial |
Commercial service provided |
n/a |
https://sourcemap.com/apparel |
| 49 |
Gridded Livestock of the World |
n/a |
|
Livestock |
Database |
Gridded Livestock of the World is the livestock equivalent of the MapSPAM dataset. It provides total quantities of different major livestock per 10 km x 10 km, as well as the average stocking density. Again, data is from 2010, but is the best available subnational data for livestock production.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
None |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
n/a |
https://www.fao.org/livestock-systems/global-distributions/en/ |
| 48 |
Mapspam |
n/a |
FAO |
Agricultural commodities |
Database |
MapSPAM provides a spatially explicit dataset of global crop production at a resolution of 10 km x 10 km. It provides overall production in tonnes, area harvested within each pixel and average yield information. It contains major crop types but is based on data from the year 2010. While it is less up to date than other resources such as FAOStat, it is the best available data available at a subnational scale.n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
None |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
n/a |
https://www.mapspam.info/ |
| 47 |
FAOStat |
n/a |
FAO |
Agricultural commodities |
Database |
FAOStat provides information about production and trade of key agricultural materials and can help you get a broad understanding of where materials come from. n/a |
High |
n/a |
n/a |
None |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/ |
| 46 |
Open Apparel Registry |
n/a |
Open Apparel Registry |
Textile production |
Database |
The Open Apparel Registry (OAR) is an open source tool which maps garment facilities worldwide and assigns a unique ID number to each.By assigning unique IDs to facilities, the OAR helps companies to standardise the data they gather, supporting consolidation and analysis. By allowing companies to view shared datasets and potential peers sourcing from the same suppliers, it also aims to support collaboration in supplier engagement. It does not currently incorporate farm-level IDs. |
High |
No |
n/a |
Supplier information |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://info.openapparel.org/ |
| 45 |
EXIOBASE |
Assess |
Consortium of partners |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Database |
EXIOBASE is a global, detailed Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Supply-Use Table (MR-SUT) and Input-Output Table (MR-IOT). It was developed by harmonising and detailing supply-use tables for a large number of countries, estimating emissions and resource extractions by industry. Subsequently the country supply-use tables were linked via trade creating an MR-SUT and producing a MR-IOTs from this. The MR-IOT that can be used for the analysis of the environmental impacts associated with the final consumption of product groups.Input-Output tables are a valuable tool in linking companies to environmental impacts in the absence of primary data. Their ability to use sector turnover/spend to generate broad impact results represents a very useful function for several companies who may want to know where the main impact areas in their copmany are, to prioritise more detailed assessments. However, they can be complicated and not designed for ease of use by non-expert users. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Financial turnover data |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
No |
https://www.exiobase.eu/ |
| 44 |
B-INTACT |
Assess,Interpret,Measure |
FAO/Agence Francais du Developpment |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production |
Interactive tool |
Developed by, and available from, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO),The Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool (B-INTACT) provides biodiversity assessments of project-level activities in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, using quantitative and a qualitative approaches. Biodiversity impacts are quantified using the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) metric, which expresses the mean abundance of original species in disturbed conditions relative to their abundance in an undisturbed habitat. Non-quantifiable impacts to biodiversity from project activities are assessed with a qualitative appraisal addressing biodiversity sensitivity and impact, biodiversity management activities and agrobiodiversity.The B-INTACT tool gives clear impact assessments and direction for setting targets for a companies within agricultural sector, as long as information is available on farms. Without information from farms, tool is much harder to use and may not be able to produce results for a company. B-INTACT is freely-downloadable and is run in Excel, so it does not require any additional software. The tool is straightforward to use, produces clear results for both quantified and qualified assessments. |
Medium |
Yes |
Farm level |
Location data, land use extent and type |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Yes - provided inputs to tool are updated accordingly |
http://www.fao.org/in-action/epic/ex-act-tool/suite-of-tools/b-intact/en/ |
| 43 |
NDPE IRF |
n/a |
Palm Oil Collaboration Group (convened by PesiCo and Cargill) |
Agricultural commodities |
Reporting framework |
Developed by the Palm Oil Collaboration Group, The Implementation Reporting Framework (IRF) allows downstream companies to report on how much of the material they puchase is compliant with No-Deforestation and Human Rights commitments within a stepwise framework. It works by passing information on the progress of the producer along the supply chain with the volumes purchased. It is therefore an effective in helping downstream companies report on the compliance of upstream producers. The Implementation Reporting Framework (IRF) is currently most advanced in the palm oil sector, but is also being applied to soy, sugar, cattle and others. The approach is flexible and can be applied to other commodities. IRF provides a model framework for how sustainability information can be shared and aggregated across commodity supply chains to track proportional quantities of commodity processed at each step that fufils sustainability criteria. The specific application of IRF is less applicable to the fashion sector specifically due to the commodities it focuses on. |
Low |
Yes |
Supplier |
Name and details of suppliers |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://www.ndpe-irf.net/ |
| 42 |
Global Forest Watch |
n/a |
World Resources Institute |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Data portal |
Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests, allowing access to near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world. Stemming from collaboration with leading financial and commodity companies, GFW Pro was launched in 2019 to aid businesses to manage deforestation risk in their supply chains. Global Forest Watch provides global level data on the coverage and condition of forests. It can act as a data source but is not aimed at assessing the impacts of companies. It provides global level data that can support companies to undertand the risk that their sourcing locations are connected to deforestation, for example by measuring the proximity of a sourcing location to recent deforestation. Limitations in overall data mean that it (and other deforestation risk analyses) cannot tell a company whether their sourcing caused the deforestation. |
Low |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
Locations of interest |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Medium- tracks global changes over time but not related to company impacts specifically |
https://www.globalforestwatch.org/ |
| 41 |
Restor |
Assess,Interpret promising |
ETH Zurich |
n/a |
Database and interface |
Restor was founded by ETH Zurich’s Crowther Lab and developed in collaboration with Google. Restor is a mapping platform that allows users to upload and share their restoration projects, as well as explore location-specific restoration potential through global models.Restor can help businesses connect with restoration projects, potentially supporting action taking. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://restor.eco/ |
| 40 |
Cool Farm Tool |
Act |
Cool Farm |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production |
Interactive tool |
The Cool Farm Tool allows farmers demonstrate what they are doing to reduce their environmental impacts through a point-based system. It introduces a range of management practices that can be implemented to increase their score. The score can be used to communicate with customers and demonstrate responsibility and accountability. It is a quick assessment, and shows where improvements can be made.A strong advantage of the Cool Farm Tool is that it is action-based: it helps farmers take actions via a range of management practices which directly affect a farm's score, making it easy to monitor progress. It has applicability to the fashion sector at the farm level. The tool is still still relatively new, so more information and case studies should emerge over time. |
High |
No |
n/a |
Area, condition and connectivity of onsite and offsite habitats |
Open access up to 5 assessments |
External consultant likely required |
Measures actual company responses so scores reflect on-the-ground management measures |
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5850908674228224 |
| 39 |
Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix |
n/a |
Textile Exchange |
Textile production |
Interactive tool |
The Textile Exchange Preferred Fibres Toolkit provides a framewok for holistically assessing preffered sustainability options for a range of materials, revealing trade offs between different certifications, inititiatives and branded materials. The framework rates sustainability across 6 impact indicators, including soil health and biodiversity. It builds upon Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods to also include qualitative indicators. It supports companies towards Textile Exchange's Climate+ commitments. |
High |
Yes |
Materials sourced |
Source information on materials used |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://textileexchange.org/pfm-matrix/ |
| 38 |
GeoFootprint |
Assess, Measure, Act, Track |
Quantis, arx IT, Cool Farm Alliance, EIT Climate-KIC |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Interactive tool |
geoFootrpint aims to help strategic decision making for supply chain management of agricultural and forestry commodities. It uses satellite data and environmental metrics to visualise the environmental footprints of key commodity crops and to model the effect of interventions. It allows businesses to understand the impact of source location, identify the location-specific factors impacting the environmental footprint, and helps model interventions that can be taken to reduce the impact. It also can be integrated with Cool Farm Tool to link farm-level indicators to supply chain indicators. geoFootprint allows companies to focus on the biodiversity impacts of particular commodities, using up-to-date information and precise locations to pinpoint the magnitude and location of impacts. By modelling potential interventions, it guides companies towards effective interventions, based upon empirical inputs and quantifiable results. For the fashion sector this represents a very useful tool, both in terms of impact assessment and target/action setting. |
High |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
Locations of interest, crop types |
Commercial |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Low- spatial screening tool only that is not directly related to individual company performance |
https://geofootprint.com/ |
| 37 |
Forest 500 |
n/a |
Global Canopy |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Online dashboard |
Forest 500, a project of Global Canopy, identifies the most influential companies and financial institutions in forest risk commodity supply chains and ranks them by their efforts to address deforestation in their supply chains. The goal of the Forest 500 is to hold companies accountable for their role in deforestation. The Forest 500 is a scorecarding approach that is aimed at helping to build transparency and accountability. It is not designed as a tool for companies to apply and undertake a biodiversity measurement assessement. |
low |
No |
n/a |
Source information on raw materials |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Low- a rating tool rather than for use by individual companies. |
https://forest500.org/sites/default/files/2020_company_selection_methodology_0.pdf |
| 36 |
IBAT |
Assess |
Birdlife, Conservation International, IUCN, UNEP-WCMC |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Interactive tool |
The Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) provides a basic risk screening on biodiversity. It draws together information on globally recognised biodiversity information drawn from a number of IUCN’s Knowledge Products: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Key Biodiversity Areas (priority sites for conservation) and Protected Planet/The World Database on Protected Areas (covering nationally and internationally recognised sites, including IUCN management categories I–VI, Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance and World Heritage sites). Through an interactive mapping tool, decision-makers are able to easily access and use this up-to-date information to identify biodiversity risks and opportunities within or close to a project boundary.IBAT has clear instructions on its usage, and as a data portal/screening tool provides multiple biodiversity outputs, including data on Protected Areas and the IUCN Red List, so is a robust tool for spatial screening of production sites and sourcing locations within the fashion sector. It has a dedicated team to assist users. However, interpretation of the outputs will likely require further interpretation. |
low |
Yes |
Production site level |
Location of sites |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
Low- spatial screening tool only |
https://www.ibat-alliance.org/ |
| 35 |
TRASE |
Assess is promising |
Trase, Global Canopy, Stockholm Environment Insitute, Auriga, Catholic University of Louvain, European Forest Institute, Imaflora, Neural Alpha, University of Santa Barbara, Aidenvironment |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production, Minerals |
Interactive tool |
Trase is an online interactive transparency tool that shows the links between purchasing countries and companies to environmental and social risks in the production base. It focuses on deforestation risk commodities that are produced in tropical forest regions. The aim of Trase is to support opportunities to improve the sustainability of how these commodities are produced, traded and consumed. Its unique supply chain mapping approach brings together disparate, publicly available data to connect consumer markets to deforestation and other impacts on the ground. Trase provides companies with an opportunity to explore locations and risks they may be connected to via their supply chain. It is especially helpful to companies who have a low level of traceability since it uses trade flow data to predict the locations and social and environmental risks a company may be connected to. However, Trase is limited to a certain number of commodities and locations, and only a subset of these are relevant to the fashion sector. Trase covers some biodiversity-relevant issues like deforestation risk, but does not cover other aspects of biodiversity. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Location data |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://www.trase.earth/ |
| 34 |
The Soy Toolkit |
n/a |
Proforest, Soy Toolkit, WWF, Good Growth Partnership, GEF |
Agricultural commodities |
Briefing notes |
The Soy Toolkit is part of Proforest’s Responsible Sourcing Toolkits programme and as part of the Good Growth Partnership's Responsible Demand Project. It is designed to support companies in the responsible sourcing of soy. It is an accessible guide to the many initiatives which aim to decouple soy production and trading from deforestation, conversion of native vegetation and human rights violations.The Soy Toolkit enables companies to engage with their soy supply chains to address environmental and social risks. The toolkit is soy specific, but since a lot of soy goes to feed cattle and livestock around the world, it can be helpful to fashion companies looking to engage with their indirect leather supply chains. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Companies will need to have resources on their own supply chain to map out the process |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://www.proforest.net/en/programmes/latin-america/soy-toolkit |
| 33 |
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Hotspots Analysis Tool |
n/a |
Life Cycle Initiative |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Online dashboard |
The Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Hotspots Analysis Tool (SCP-HAT) aims at identifying the hot spot areas of unsustainable production and consumption in order to support setting of priorities in national SCP and climate policies. The tool provides three modules to analyse hotspot areas of sustainable consumption and production. For the estimation of footprint-type indicators, two approaches are applied: Environmentally extended multi-regional input-output (EE-MRIO) analysis and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA).This approach allows tracing all the pressures and impacts occurring at the different stages of even very complex supply chains and allocating them to the country of final consumption, or sectoral production. This type of analysis is used to identify hotspots of unsustainable consumption and production.Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Hotspots Analysis Tool (SCP-HAT) provides a way to identify areas of unsustainable production and consumption. The tool is mostly aimed at national policy. While it can be helpful to provide overall context for sustainability in countries, it does does not measure company-level performance. |
Low |
Yes |
Country level |
National environmental and social data and environmental pressure. The data on pressures and impacts are linked to monetary data on transactions among economic sectors and final consumers of different countries. ‘Eora’ database . |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Low- country-level screening tool only |
http://scp-hat.lifecycleinitiative.org/ http://scp-hat.lifecycleinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SCP-HAT_Technical-documentation_final-20181220_v2.pdf |
| 32 |
Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric |
Assess, Measure, Track |
IUCN, The Biodiversity Consultancy |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Data layer and methodology document |
Developed by IUCN and available through the IBAT tool, The Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric measures the contribution that businesses can make to reducing species extinction risk by reducing pressures, and restoring habitat at the specific locations at which they operate. Underlying the metric is the IUCN data on red list species ranges and threat assessments. The metric has a range of applications, from site-level risk screening to targeting investments in restoration. The Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) is one of few approaches to quantify species extinction risk. The metric provides a spatially explicit number which can be used directly by companies within the fashion sector to set targets and inform actions to achieve those targets. STAR requires only location data e.g. sourcing to be able to generate a base level score. Scores can be refined based on detailed availability of biodiversity information in locations, but are not required. Allows easy monitoring of progress towards targets and effects of actions. It is currently limited in its ability to reflect changes in extinction risk driven by company over time. |
Medium |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
STAR data layer, operation location data |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures extinction risk of locations, rather than actual impact so currently low responsiveness to company management measures (method in development) |
https://www.iucn.org/regions/washington-dc-office/our-work/species-threat-abatement-and-recovery-star-metric |
| 31 |
Responsible Leather Assessment Tool |
n/a |
Textile Exchange |
Textile production |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
The Responsible Leather Assessment (RLA) Tool provides a framework in which companies can evaluate their leather supply chain. The tool will recognise and leverage the many existing standards, programs and tools, many that address regional or single stage impacts only. The RLA will be applicable only to bovine (cattle) leather in its first version, and Textile Exchange is working with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) to better understand and address issues at the beginning of the supply chain.The Responsible Leather Assessment Tool allows companies to contribute to sustainable leather production, and provides companies with a method to assess the responsibility of their leather supply chain. |
High |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
| 30 |
ReCiPe |
None |
PRé,Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Radboud University Nijmegen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Database |
ReCiPe 2016 is an improvement of ReCiPe 2008, and forms part of a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) that translates emissions and resource extractions into a limited number of environmental impact scores by means of so-called characterisation factors. There are two mainstream ways to derive characterisation factors, i.e. at midpoint level and at endpoint level. The ReCiPe 2008 method was updated in 2016 to include human health, ecosystem quality and resource scarcity as three areas of protection.ReCiPe provides a comprehensive overview of different impacts on biodiversity, but it can be difficult to intepret the results and how to use them. Expertise may therefore be required to support companies to develop and apply the results. It is best applied within tools that use it as their underlying model/dataset, to be able to access the data in a more user-friendly way. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Life Cycle Inventory Data from LCA databases (such as ecoinvent) or environmentally extended input-output databases (such as EXIOBASE) |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impacts so able to track change in overall footprint, but not finer-scale management measures. |
https://www.rivm.nl/en/life-cycle-assessment-lca/recipe |
| 29 |
Product Biodiversity Footprint (PBF) |
None |
I-Care & Consult, Sayari |
Textile production, Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Methodology document |
Initiated by I-Care & Consult, and co-developed with Sayari, the Product Biodiversity Footprint (PBF) combines biodiversity studies and companies’ data to quantify the impacts of a product on biodiversity along its life-cycle stages. PBF provides guidance for product changes, especially in an eco-design, risk analysis and purchasing strategy. PBF uses a life cycle approach, taking into account direct impact of on-site operations and indirect impacts (off-site) related to site inbound and outbound flows. The result is an assessment of product-level impacts based on key drivers of biodiversity loss. The PBF helps to provide recommendations for changes to a product life cycle stages.Product Biodiversity Footprint (PBF) is able to help companies within the fashion sector explore changes to their product life cycles to reduce the impacts along life cycle stages. It is not designed for higher-level biodiversity measurement at a corporate or sourcing level. The PBF covers the main drivers of biodiversity loss, including for invasive species which other tools/metrics do not cover. The tool can also help fashion companies assess the impact of individual products. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Secondary data from LCI databases, management practices to adjust characterisation factors |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact but able to adjust characterisation factors based on management measures to estimate change in state in response to management. |
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/business/assets/pdf/tool-descriptions/PBF%20summary%20description.pdf |
| 28 |
LIFE key |
n/a |
LIFE Insititute |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Methodology document |
The Lasting Innovation For Earth (LIFE) Key methodology provides quantitative information on a company's performance (pressure and positive impacts on biodiversity) and provides strategic guidance to organisations to ensure the effectiveness of their conservation actions. It is characterised by being a robust and measurable methodology, and integrates business and biodiversity. It is adaptable to any country or region, and applicable to companies of any size or sector.The Lasting Innovation For Earth (LIFE) Key allows users to input some information about their company for the main drivers of biodiversity loss (land usage, water consumption, waste generation, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions), and generates a resultant biodiversity impact index which can be used to direct action. The methodology could support the companies within the fashion sector in the materiality phase of a company impact assessment, but may not be detailed enough for the actual quantification required for setting targets. Guidance is clear and it should be reasonably easy for most companies to obtain the information required for the tool. |
Medium |
Yes |
Country level, Ecoregion |
Company data: • Sector of activity, business structure, unit (site) selected for the methodology application, identification/ location information, annual income. Environmental Information: • Waste - type of waste, destination and annual quantity generated • Gas - gases emitted, GHG Protocol scope (1,2,3), annual quantity emitted • Water – type of water source, annual amount consumed • Energy - energy source, annual quantity consumed • Area - ecoregion, type of land occupation (agriculture, built area, etc.), area size. Environmental projects and conservation actions carried on • Type of action (according to LIFE Methodology) • Ecoregion • Purpose of the action • Description of the action • Initial and final date • LIFE qualifiers and indicators attended Impacts analysis – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services • Processes, activities and their resulting impacts, affected ecosystem services, dependencies, risks and opportunities (the completion of the matrix is guided by options lists and orientations provided by the tool) |
Software License required |
External consultant likely required |
Assesses company level response in relation to minimum level required based on pressures, but does not reflect change in state in relation to management measures. |
https://institutolife.org/o-que-fazemos/desenvolvimento-de-metodologias/como-funciona-a-metodologia-life/?lang=en |
| 27 |
LC-IMPACT |
None |
NTNU, DTU, Radboud University, Pre, ETH Zurich |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Methodology document and database |
Developed as part of an EU FP7 project, The LC-IMPACT methodology aims to provide a global life cycle impact assessment methodology for three main areas - human health, ecosystem quality and resources. For each of the three areas, a metric is used to account for impact. The LC-IMPACT includes 11 broad impact categories, in 3 ecosystem types (terrestrial, freshwater and marine). The impacts are quantified according to damage level, and assessed according to topics that are important to society.The LC-IMPACT method provides a global life cycle impact assessment that companies within the fashion sector can use to assess the impact of their products. The approach provides a comprehensive overview of different impacts on biodiversity, but it may require specialist expertise to develop and intepret the results. If expertise is available, the LC_IMPACT can provide results that are reliable and cover the main impacts on biodiversity. Currently, some impacts are still in development and are not fully incorporated into the methodology. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
The characterisation factors (provided for each pressure). Details unavailable (tool still in development) on the characterisation factor, the spatial scale of the pressures differs. |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
n/a |
https://lc-impact.eu/ecosystem_quality.html |
| 26 |
LandScale |
None |
LandScale |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Framework and reporting platform |
Companies, industry initiatives, NGOs, governments, donors, and financial institutions can use LandScale to measure the sustainability status of any landscape with substantial natural resource-based economies and supply chains. The LandScale assessment framework helps users gain critical insights, make more informed decisions, and communicate with stakehlders. It provides a holistic overview of a landscape in relation to four pillars of sustainability: ecosystems, human well-being, governance, and production. Users can tailor to different landscapes by selecting context-appropriate indicators and performance metrics.The LandScale assessment framework allows businesses to measure landscape sustainability performance. It allows companies and other stakeholders to monitor and report on progress in landscape programmes. Indicators include ecosystems, wellbeing governance and production. It is not designed for assessing individual company impacts, and is instead useful to companies engaging in multistakeholder landscape programmes to address their biodiversity impacts. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Required - Changes in threats to species (changes in threats to populations of indicator species or other species identified as important in the landscape, using the IUCN Red List) and biodiversity habitat conversion (ha of natural ecosystem conversion within areas identified as important for biodiversity and percentage % of such areas that this represents). Optional: biodiversity habitat degradation (ha and percentage % of natural ecosystems that are degraded within areas identified as important for biodiversity), biodiversity habitat restoration (area and % of land under restoration within identified as important for biodiversity, biodiversity habitat protection (area and percentage of areas identified as important for biodiversity that are designated and managed for long-term protection) |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures actual impact at the landscape level |
https://www.landscale.org/ |
| 25 |
IOTA-SEI |
n/a |
Stockholm Environment Institute |
Agricultural commodities |
Database |
Stockholm Environment Institution's (SEI) Input-Output Trade Analysis (IOTA) was originally developed within a project for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The model is an environmental foot printing tool that links physical data on commodity production in different countries with a detailed financial matrix that traces inter-industry buying and selling across the world. It refers to the economic data underlying the model, and traces movements and interactions at a global level. The IOTA model currently includes data for 150 agricultural commodities, 236 countries of production, 140 regions of consumption, 57 economic sectors, resource inputs and data from the IUCN Red List, Key Biodiversity Areas, WWF Ecoregion and Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites.Input-Output tables a such as Stockholm Environment Institute's (SEI) Input-Output Trade Analysis (IOTA) model are valuable tools in linking companies to environmental impacts in the absence of primary data. Their ability to use sector turnover/spend to generate broad impact results represents a very useful function for several companies who may want to know where the main impact areas in the their copmany are, and to prioritise more detailed assessments. However, they can be complicated and are not designed for easy use by non-expert users. They also rely on sector averages to produce results, rather than company specific data. As such they are more usedul for supporting broad understanding of risks rather than helping a fashion company to assess impacts or set targets. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Commodities of interest and production methods |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact so is able to change as commodities and sourcing changes, but does not reflect 'on-the-ground' management measures. |
https://www.sei.org/projects-and-tools/tools/iota/ |
| 24 |
Higg Materials Sustainability Index |
Assess, Interpret |
Sustainable Apparel Coalition |
Textile production, Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Interactive tool |
The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) was launched as a tool by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, to help companies make more sustainable choices. It measures water scarcity, chemistry, global warming potential, nutrient pollution and fossil fuel depletion. It offers a data driven assessment of impacts of the materials in apparel, footwear and textile products. It enables companies to choose lower impact materials in production.The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) enables companies to recognise the impacts of their materials and apparel. Biodiversity is not included directly in this approach. It is not designed to incorporate biodiveristy impact at all levels of the supply chain, especially post production. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Commodities of interest and production methods |
Commercial |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Change in response to production practices |
https://apparelcoalition.org/higg-product-tools/ |
| 23 |
Higg BRM |
Assess, Interpret |
Sustainable Apparel Coalition |
Textile production, Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Questionnaire |
The Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg BRM) was developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and provides a holistic picture of value chain sustainability, it can be used to report progress on Science Based Target Network (SBTN), UN SDGs and G7 Fashion Pact. Biodiversity is a specific section of this approach. It is formed of 3 'tools' on product, facility, brand and retail. It focuses on identifying sustainability risks and impacts of each section of the value chain (from materials sourcing to a product’s end of use) to allow brands and retailers to create, align, and embed corporate responsibility strategies into department operations.The Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg BRM) focuses on impacts and can be used for reporting towards international targets and goals. It does not assess business risk and site-level management. The Higg BRM represents a good option for fashion companies looking to get a holistic view of their impacts on biodiversity and other sustainability areas. |
High |
No |
n/a |
Questionnaire on company profile |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Yes |
https://apparelcoalition.org/the-higg-index/ |
| 22 |
GMAP |
None |
IFC, GMAP, WWF |
Agricultural commodities |
Online dashboard |
The Global Map of Environmental & Social Risk in Agro-commodity Production (GMAP) was developed by IFC and provides an early and high-level country and commodity-level evaluation of environmental and social risks associated with agri-commodity primary production. It uses publicly available data from reputable international and local sources. It can be used to support financial intermediaries to develop or strengthen their internal screening, as part of their environmental and social management systems, as well as supporting agribusinesses in undertaking a high-level risk assessment of their sourcing. It can also help in financial decisions by providing a risk score. Ultimately, GMAP aims to identify and assess environmental risks, and manage the strategies available to businesses.The Global Map of Environmental & Social Risk in Agro-commodity Production (GMAP) focuses on environmental and social risks and is able to help businesses manage their strategies to address the identified risks at a broad commodity level. The tool maps high risk source locations for different agricultural commodities. Whilst this may have some applications for a fasion company (e.g. screening for risk in certain source or potential source areas or for certain commodities), it does not help them to quantify the impact from their sourcing directly and will not be able to help with target setting or action planning for example. |
Medium |
Yes |
Country level |
Commodities of interest within supply chain |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
n/a |
https://gmaptool.org/report/methodology |
| 21 |
GLOBIO |
Assess, Measure, Track |
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Radboud Universiteit, Wageningen University, NIOO, UNEP-WCMC, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, RMIT, University of St Andrews, GRID Arendal |
n/a |
Methodology document and data layer |
GLOBIO can be used to quantify various policy-relevant dimensions of human-nature interactions including: benefits that people obtain from nature, impacts of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem services, production and consumption based biodiversity impacts, patterns and trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the effectiveness of large-scale policy options for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. The GLOBIO model and the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) indicator have initially been developed by a consortium of Partners consisting of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), UNEP GRID-Arendal and UNEP-WCMC. Nowadays, the development and application of the model with the MSA indicator are primarily taking place at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in cooperation with the Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands), Department of Environmental Science, and Wageningen University (Netherlands), Environmental System Analysis Group. The GLOBIO model is able to provide underlying data for high-level footprinting of corporate activities, and covers a wide range of pressures. It does not undertake localised assessments, including site level. As a model it is not designed for company use (no interface), and it is not specific to the fashion sector. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Underlying model behind measurement approaches (rather than a standalone tool) |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact and therefore supports tracking change in overall footprint, but not finer-scale management measures. Can use directly measured data. Characterisation factors that are adjusted for different management measures are in development. |
https://www.globio.info/ |
| 20 |
Global Biodiversity Score |
n/a |
Capitals Coalition, B4B, Mission Economie de la Biodiversite |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals, Textile production |
Methodology document |
The Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) provides an overall and synthetic vision of the biodiversity footprint of economic activities. It was developed by CDC Biodiversité to evaluate the impact or footprint of companies and investments on biodiversity. GBS uses data to link economic activity to biodiversity pressures and translate these pressures into biodiversity impact, and is a corporate biodiversity footprint assessment tool. GBS is ‘scientifically consensual and transparent about its methodology and limitations’, and continues to be developed and updated with new pressures. The Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) is able to provide a high-level footprint of corporate activities, and covers a wide range of pressures. It provides companies with a current and ongoing impact value, so they can see how impacts on biodiversity will continue and how potential actions could change this. It covers the main drivers of biodiversity loss, and can rely on information such as company financial turnover data making it is easy to use. Results are interpretable and can be disaggregated across different impact drivers and scopes of the value chain, however it cannot look at specific raw materials or geographies. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Default approach- company turnover data |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
The 'refined approach' measures acutal impact and is therefore able to respond to changes in pressures through time |
http://www.mission-economie-biodiversite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/N14-TRAVAUX-DU-CLUB-B4B-GBS-UK-WEB.pdf |
| 19 |
EU Product Environmental Footprints |
n/a |
Ecochain |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Methodology document and product factsheets |
EU Product Environmental Footprint’s (PEF) biodiversity measurement methodology aims to standardise the way in which companies measure product and company-level footprints. PEF uses a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based method to quantify the environmental impacts of products (goods or services). It builds on existing approaches and international standards. The overarching purpose of PEF information is to enable the reduction of environmental impacts of goods and services taking into account supply chain activities (from extraction of raw materials, through production and use and to final waste management). The studies undertaken by the PEF method are considered to be reproducible, comparable and verifiable.EU Product Environmental Footprints (PEF) provide a standardised methodology so that impacts of products are measured consistently and comparably. Relevant for providing input data and supporting the standardisation of assessment of product impacts within the fashion sector. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
The data should include all known inputs and outputs for the processes. Inputs are (for example) use of energy, water, materials, etc. Outputs are the products, co-products ( 77 ), and emissions. Emissions can be divided into four categories: emissions to air, to water, to soil, and emissions as solid waste. Specific data can be collected, measured or calculated using activity data ( 78 ) and related emission factors. It should be noted that emission factors may be derived from generic data subject to data quality requirements |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact of products, and is therefore responsive to changes in product lifecycles. |
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013H0179&from=EN https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu//permalink/PEF_method.pdf |
| 18 |
Environmental Profit & Loss Account (EP&L) |
n/a |
Kering |
Agricultural commodities, Textile production |
Methodolgy document and app |
The Environmental Profit & Loss Account (EP&L) was developed by Kering, and measures carbon emissions, water consumption, air and water pollution, land use, and waste production along the entire supply chain (raw material production through to direct operations). The impacts are converted into a single unit (the user has the option of 'environmental KPI' or a monetary value units) thereby making the various environmental impacts of the company’s activities visible, quantifiable, and comparable. The EP&L is tailored to the fashion sector, and allows companies to assess the impacts of the fashion sector, across all sections of the value chain and for all major impact drivers. It is therefore highly relevant and useful for companies in the fashion sector. The methodology and some underlying datasets are publicly available, meaning anyone is free to conduct an EP&L. However, it requires detailed and comprehensive information on company activities to undertake the assessment. |
High |
Yes |
Production site level |
Primary data on pressures |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures actual impact and is therefore responsive to change in company-level management measures |
https://www.kering.com/en/sustainability/measuring-our-impact/our-ep-l/what-is-an-ep-l/ |
| 17 |
Environmental Impact Index |
n/a |
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP) |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Online dashboard |
The Environmental Impact Index (EII) is a global measure of countries' domestic and international environmental impacts. It has been led by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP) and includes an outcome-based measure of resource use and pollution, relating to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at the country level. The first prototype of the EII tool was launched in 2020. The framework focuses on providing outcome-driven metrics, benchmarking resource use, effects of international demand and data gaps and updates. Biodiversity forms one of the sub-pillars of the framework, the others being climate, pollution, and natural resources. Below the sub-pillars there are more specific components including pollution (nitrogen, air and waste, biodiversity threats and protected areas, water, forest, fisheries and diets).The Environmental Impact Index is designed to inform policy decisions at the national level. The tool can provide helpful information but would be less helpful to a company looking to set their own targets. |
Low |
Yes |
Country level |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
https://environmentalimpact.global/ |
| 16 |
SBTN Materiality Tool |
Assess |
UNEP-WCMC |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals, Textile production |
Interactive tool |
The SBTN Materiality tool was developed by UNEP-WCMC with support of the Science based Targets Network (SBTN) to help companies conduct step 1a- materiality assessment of the SBTN guidance. It allows companies to conduct a rapid, high level, qualitative assessment of a sector's impacts across 12 environmental impact categories. The tools draws on ENCORE and EXIOBASE for its for its direct and upstream impacts respectively. It will also cover downstream impacts in the future.The Science based Targets Network (SBTN) materiality tool is quick and relatively easy to use, since a company simply needs to select the business activities that apply to it to see the results. No special data inputs are required. However, support may be needed in interpreting the results and possibly in ensuring that all relevant business activities are selected. The tool is designed to help companies understand high-level priority areas, and not to set targets. Quantitative analyses would be needed for this. |
High |
No |
n/a |
User selects options from a dropdown list. No data input required. |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Measures potential for risk at the sector level and therefore does not reflect company management measures |
https://sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/SBTN-Interim-Guidance-Updates-August-2021.pdf |
| 15 |
ENCORE |
Assess |
UNEP-WCMC, MAVA, UNEP FI, Global Canopy, Natural Capital Finance Alliance, Sonfederation Suisse |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals, Textile production |
Interactive tool |
ENCORE was developed by the Natural Capital Finance Alliance in partnership with UNEP-WCMC. It can be used to understand natural capital risks arising from dependencies and impacts of business activities through the use of spatial data. The aim of the tool is to help financial institutions to better understand, assess and integrate natural capital risks in their activities. The ENCORE biodiversity module, that forms part of the wider ENCORE tool, is aimed specifically at facilitating financial institutions to align their portfolios with global biodiversity goals.ENCORE is useful for conducing a high-level materiality assessment for a fashion company. It is one of the recommended tools from the Science based Targets Network (SBTN) to conduct an early materiality assessment, so will help to align with this process. The tool currently examines direct impacts and dependencies, and will be expanded to upstream and downstream impacts at later stages. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
n/a |
Open access |
Likely able to be used without external consultant |
Measures potential for risk at the sector level and therefore does not reflect company management measures |
https://encore.naturalcapital.finance/en |
| 14 |
Ecosystem Intactness Index |
n/a |
UNEP-WCMC |
Agricultural commodities |
Data layer and methodology document |
In development by UNEP-WCMC , The Ecosystem Intactness Index aims to support companies and cities in setting Science-Based Targets for ecosystems. The metric combines data on the naturalness of the three components of ecosystem integrity – composition, structure and function – into a single overall integrity index. Applied as either a global data layer, or to individual company operations, the index aims to support understanding levels of pressure reduction needed in different locations and by different actors in order to keep ecosystem integrity within planetary boundaries.The data layer can form a helpful component of an analysis of biodiversity impacts for a fashion company, including risk screening and understanding potential impacts of sites and sourcing locations. Use of the data is likely to need expert guidance. |
Medium |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
n/a |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
| 13 |
Dialecte |
n/a |
Solagro |
Agricultural commodities |
Interactive tool |
DIALECTE, developed by Solagro, is a global agro-environmental tool to assess the environmental performance of farms, applicable to any type of farming system in Europe. It was developed to help farmers identify scopes for improving the sustainability of agricultural production on their farms. The database allows sharing and comparison of the results to understand the intensity of farm management, environmental pressures and farm productivity. It helps identify where actions can be taken to improve farming practices and systems.DIALECTE is able to provide a detailed framework for farm-level biodiversity and is able to help farmers recognise and improve farming practices towards those that support on-farm biodiversity. It is most relevant for companies in the fashion sector who work closely with farms to improve practices. The tool has been mainly applied to European farms. |
Low |
Yes |
Farm level |
Ecological compensation (infrastructure) area (outlined by IOBC: International Organisation for Biological and Integrated Control as an area to cover at least 5% of the entire farm surface excluding forests), rare arable crop, high environmental value (outlined by the French Ministry of Agriculture within their environmental certification scheme) |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Performance indicators that reflect response of companies, but does not reflect change in state in response to site-level management measures |
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/18939073/dialecte-a-comprehensive-and-quick-tool-to-assess-the-agro- |
| 12 |
Corporate Biodiversity Footprint |
None |
Iceberg data lab |
Finance, Agricultural commodities, Minerals, Textile production |
Methodology document |
The Corporate Biodiversity Footprint is being developed by Iceberg Data labs (IDL). It takes four different biodiversity pressures into account; Land-use change, Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ecotoxicity. It can be applied in a consistent manner to corporate and portfolio level impacts. The calculation of IDL’s Corporate Biodiversity Footprint (CBF) follows three successive steps: 1. the company’s financial and operational metrics are collected; 2. the company’s metrics are used to estimate its specific environmental pressures (GHG and NOx emissions, surface of land use, volumes of toxic compounds released); 3. the pressures are eventually converted into impact and converted into a single unit. The impact from all pressures is then computed into the overall Corporate Biodiversity Footprint.The Corporate Biodiversity Footprint provides impacts across main drivers of loss (i.e. land use, pollution etc) and results can be disaggregated by commodity and geography. The tool is commercially available and is likely to require some expertise or training to use and to interpret results. Note that the methodology is not yet fully launched. It focusses on understanding impacts and does not guide the user to appropriate actions. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Financial turnover data |
Commercial |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact and is therefore able to track change in overall footprint, but not finer-scale management measures. Can use directly measured data. |
https://www.icebergdatalab.com/ |
| 11 |
BioScope |
Assess, Measure |
Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, CODE, Arcadis, PRé Sustainability |
n/a |
Online dashboard |
BioScope was developed by Pre Sustainability, Arcadis and CODE to provides users with an interactive platform to access I-O model data. BioScope provides users with an estimation of where the most important impacts on biodiversity in their supply chain could be. This is a first step into determining which of the purchased products and services may be most significant, allowing users to focus on the relevant commodities and suppliers for managing the biodiversity risks and opportunities in a business’s supply chain. The results of a BioScope assessment are aimed at developing meaningful actions to assess and reduce the impact of a supply chain on biodiversity. It is able to indicate the potential impact of a commodity, as well as the upstream supply chain.BioScope is able to help businesses identify where they will likely have impacts across their supply chain. It provides an accessible 'route in' for companies within the Fashion sector to the ReCiPe life cycle methodology by specidically focusing on biodiversity and presenting the results in a clear user interface. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
An inventory of commodities used in a given supply chain; this is done by specifying the expenditure per commodity for each stage. A biodiversity impact mode (ReCiPe), which will translate these regionalised economical activities to meaningful indicators that describe their influence with regard to each of the impact drivers |
No longer maintained, but operational on open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact but does not reflect 'on-the-ground' company management measures purchase, but also of the upstream supply chain of these commodities |
https://bioscope.info/ |
| 10 |
Biological Diversity Protocol (BD Protocol) |
n/a |
Biodiversity Disclosure Project, National Biodiversity and Business Network, Endangered Wildlife Trust |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Methodology document |
The Biological Diversity Protocol is aligned to the Natural Capital Protocol, and was developed by the Biodiversity Disclosure Project. It provides biodiversity-specific guidance to measuring changes in the state of natural capital (step 6 of the Natural Capital Protocol), by providing guidance on how to measure change(s) in biodiversity components affected by business. It differs from the other measurement approaches as it offers an accounting and reporting framework, which helps to consolidate biodiversity impact data in a standardised, comparable, credible and unbiased manner. It is designed to generate two types of biodiversity information: biodiversity footprint (impacts on ecosystems); and species-level data. The Biological Diversity Protocol provides a detailed framework for compiling biodiversity accounts in alignment with financial accounting methods. It provides guidance on disclosing biodiversity impacts, but is focused more at site than corporate level. Targets and actions are framed around the concept of the Mitigation Hierarchy, which adheres to generally accepted best practice on biodiversity impact mitigation. It includes a verification, reporting and disclosure component which most other tools lack. |
High |
Yes |
Farm Level |
Primary data collected on ecosystem extent / condition and taxa populations at site level. Can also use modelled footprint data. Ecosystem impact data are consolidated / aggregated in 3 KPIs: Total, Positive and Negative Biodiversity Footprints. Species impact data remain segregated per species with the same 3 KPIs. |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures actual impact through accounting for gains and losses over time (historical and annual changes) and is therefore able to reflect company management actions |
https://www.nbbnbdp.org/bp-protocol.html |
| 9 |
Biodiversity Performance Tool for Food sector (BPT) |
None |
Solagro, Tecnico Lisboa, Auf A good for Good, Fundacion Global Nature, Global Nature Fund, Bodensee Stifung, EU Life Programme, DBU, La Region Occitanie, Ministere de L'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Fundacion Biodiversidad, Ministerio Para La Transicion Ecologica, Ministere de La transition Ecologicique et SOlidaire |
Agricultural commodities |
Interactive tool |
The Biodiversity Performance Tool (BPT) is being elaborated in the frame of the EU LIFE Project “Biodiversity in standards and labels for the food sector” and aims at proposing a methodology to assess the integration of functional biodiversity at farm level for food sector actors (product quality or sourcing managers) as well as for certification companies (certifiers and auditors). The BPT should help farmers and farm advisors to elaborate and implement sound Biodiversity Action Plans, which contribute substantially to a better biodiversity performance on farm level. The tool will support auditors and certifiers of standards as well as product, quality and sourcing managers of food companies to better assess the preservation and improvement of integration of biodiversity at farm level.The Biodiversity Performance Tool (BPT) helps farms and farm advisors to develop Biodiversity Action Plans. It is focused at the farm level and does not cover further up the value chain. Focused on the food sector, it is most relevant to textiles that intersect with food production, and companies who are- or plan to- improve biodiversity outcomes at farm level as part of their biodiversity strategies. |
Low |
Yes |
Farm level |
Information on farming type, presence of semi-natural habitats, types of farming practices applied, knowledge of farmer's awareness and involvement |
Open access |
Easy to use |
Performance indicators that reflect response of companies, but does not reflect change in state in response to site-level management measures |
https://www.business-biodiversity.eu/en/biodiversity-performance-tool |
| 8 |
Biodiversity Net Gain Calculator |
n/a |
The Environment Bank |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
The Biodiversity Net Gain Calculator (BNGC) has been developed by Arcadis to provide insight in the land use related biodiversity value on operational sites of a company. The main purpose of the BNGC is to provide insight in the actual and potential biodiversity value of the different spatial units of the site by means of a metric built on extent, condition and significance. It focuses on land-use pressures on biodiversity, and provides a quality score attributed to the extent of unbuilt (green) site, taking into account the presence of rare or protected species and habitats. It is based on a site visit by a biodiversity expert, and therefore provides a high resolution and accuracy.The Biodiversity Net Gain Calculator is able to demonstrate compliance to standards on a site-level basis, helps apply the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy, and helps to develop No Net Loss commitments. It is a flexible approach and is able to take the local ecoregion into context. However, it is limited to site-level, and looks only at land use as a driver for biodiversity loss and not other drivers. |
Medium |
Yes |
Farm Level |
Area, condition and connectivity of onsite and offsite habitats |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Details unavailable (tool still in development) |
Measures actual impact but designed for calculating offsets, rather than monitoring performance |
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5850908674228224 |
| 7 |
Biodiversity Monitoring System for the Food Sector (BMS) |
None |
EU Life programme, LIFE Food & Biodiversity consortium of Global Nature Fund (GNF), Lake Constance Foundation, Fundación Global Nature, Instituto Superior Técnico, Agentur auf!, Solagro |
Agricultural commodities |
Interactive tool |
The Biodiversity Monitoring System for the Food Sector (BMS) tool has been created to offer food standards and food companies the possibility to monitor indicators with relevance for biodiversity of their certified farms / their producers. The monitoring is divided into two levels; Level 1 monitoring is a system wide approach with 25 indicators to evaluate the potential created for biodiversity (ecological structures, biotope-corridors, buffer zones, etc.) and the reduction of negative impacts on biodiversity (use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, erosion, water use, etc.). Level 2 is currently in development but will comprise of in-depth sampling beyond the scope of certification. It monitors mid- and long-term effects of certification on wild biodiversity on the farm and its direct surroundings by selected key indicator species.The Biodiversity Monitoring System for the Food Sector allows companies to monitor indicators to directly measure their impacts and risks on farms. It is focussed on the food sector, but many of the metrics and indicators should be relevant to textile production, especially where food and fashion intersect. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Data answering 25 performance indicator questions |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Performance indicators that reflect response of companies, but does not reflect change in state in response to site-level management measures |
https://www.business-biodiversity.eu/en/biodiversity-performance-tool |
| 6 |
Biodiversity Indicators for Site-based Impacts |
Assess, Measure, Track |
UNEP-WCMC |
Minerals |
Methodology document |
Biodiversity Indicators for Site-based Impacts is a joint initiative between UNEP-WCMC, Conservation International and Fauna & Flora International, with support from IPIECA and the Proteus Partnership. The methodology provides a structured approach to organising monitoring data into an assessment of site based performance. It allows assessment of pressures, biodiversity state and management response, with agreed thresholds at sites. The methodology has been piloted by extractives companies throughout 2019-2020. Although focused on extractives, it is applicable for any sector with site-based impacts.Biodiversity Indicators for Site-based Impacts provides a detailed framework for monitoring site-level impacts, and covers pressures, state and response. Although developed for extractives, as it is a flexible framework it has potential to be applied by the Fashion sector to assess biodiversity performance at production sites. However, by covering site-based impacts, it requires relatively detailed site-level data so does not cover the full value chain. |
Low |
Yes |
Farm Level |
Site level data on species and habitats (can be through secondary data) |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures actual impact using site-level data and is therefore responsive to management |
https://www.unep-wcmc.org/featured-projects/biodiversity-indicators-for-site-based-impacts |
| 5 |
Biodiversity Impact Metric |
Assess, Measure, Track |
CISL, The Biodiversity Consultancy |
Agricultural commodities |
Methodology document |
The Biodiversity Impact Metric was developed by the Natural Capital Impact Group at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), supported by The Biodiversity Consultancy. It can be used to assess and track how a business’ sourcing affects nature, through the biodiversity lost as a result of agricultural production. The metric allows comparison of potential impacts across different sourcing locations and between commodities. The metric allows a company to undertake a risk-screening of its sourcing in order to identify where the greatest impacts are likely to occur, thereby helping to prioritise further investigations and interventions.The Biodiversity Impact Metric provides a flexible framework for assessing land-use impacts on biodiversity. Land use is often the most significant driver of biodiversity impacts for a company and measuring this will capture a significant portion of overall impacts; however, it will likely need supplementing with a methodology which covers other impact drivers (such as pollution and greenhouse gas emissions). The method relies on information related to where you source your raw materials, and how much land is occupied for that production (this can be derived if primary data is not available). However, the methodology requires specialist expertise to implement, as it does not currently have a user-friendly tool. |
Medium |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
Sourcing location and yield |
Partial open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact and therefore responds to changes in volumes sourced as different regions use different land areas to produce a set yield. This will change based on investment decisions but not management/performance by those companies |
https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/resources/natural-resource-security-publications/measuring-business-impacts-on-nature |
| 4 |
Biodiversity Footprint Methodology and Calculator |
n/a |
PlansUp |
Agricultural commodities, Minerals |
Interactive tool |
The Biodiversity Footprint Methodology and Calculator was designed by PlansUp to assess the current and future biodiversity footprint of a company’s product. It is a pressure based methodology, that is used to quantify the biodiversity impact of a product, sector or company for the three major pressure types: Land use, Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and pollution (nitrogen and phosphate emission to water). The methodology can be used to determine which part of the supply chain leads to the highest impact, and to test effectiveness of company measures. The Biodiversity Footprint Calculator is a simple open source tool that allows users to calculate the terrestrial impact of land use and GHG for the most relevant parts of the production chain.The Biodiversity Footprint Methodology and Calculator focuses on pressures and impact of a company from Land use, Greenhouse gas (GHG) and Nitrogen and Phosphorus emissions to water. It allows the calculation of a high-level footprint, but not company level management measures. The tool does not permit analysis of specific fashion-relevant materials, but does cover drivers of biodiversity loss for fashion companies. It has an easy-to-use interface on the website and provides outputs which are interpretable using a simple unit. The tool does not provide guidance on actions. The tool is not spatially explicit, so to get disaggregated data for a broad supply chain would require using the tool multiple times which might quickly become impractical; the tool is therefore best suited to assessing impacts of one or a few components of a value chain. |
Medium |
No |
n/a |
Impact driver data including land area occupied |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact and therefore able to track change in overall footprint, but not finer-scale management measures. Can use directly measured data. Characterisation factors that are adjusted for different management measures are in development. |
https://www.plansup.nl/biodiversity-footprint-calculator/ |
| 3 |
Biodiversity Footprint Financial Institutions (BFFI) |
n/a |
ASN banks, CREM, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality |
Finance |
Methodology document |
The Biodiversity Footprint Financial Institutions (BFFI) method has been used by ASN Bank in the Netherlands to calculate both the positive and negative impacts of financial investments on biodiversity. It provides an overall biodiversity footprint of the economic activities a financial institution (FI) invests in, by assessing the drivers of biodiversity loss that are linked to the financial institutions investments. The BFFI methodology calculates the impact of each investment as the (expected) change in species in an area during a certain period. The BFFI methodology can, and will, use direct, location specific data where available.The Biodiversity Footprint Financial Insitutions (BFFI) method focuses on financial portfolios rather than corporate level / company impact. It allows the calculation of a high-level footprint, and an understanding of positive and negative impacts. The quantitative metric is not responsive to management interventions by companies they are investing in. The tool is for use by financial institutions and investors, and may be of interest to fashion companies whose investors may be interested in or are already using it. |
low |
No |
n/a |
Footprint on a portfolio level: Investments by the FI: sums and companies/funds invested in. Financial turnover of the companies within the investment portfolio (from financial databases). Footprint of a single investment: Investment by the FI (sum and company/fund invested in), Financial turnover of the company/project invested in (from financial databases), Investee specific data on inputs and outputs (when available). |
Open access |
External consultant likely required |
Measures potential impact and therefore able to track change in overall footprint, but not finer-scale management measures. Can use directly measured data. Characterisation factors that are adjusted for different management measures are in development. |
https://www.government.nl/documents/reports/2019/09/25/report-positive-impacts-in-the-biodiversity-footprint-financial-institutions |
| 2 |
B Impact Assessment |
Assess, Measure, Track |
B Lab, B Corp |
n/a |
Interactive tool |
The B Impact Assessment (BIA) was designed by B-Lab, in collaboration with global business leaders. It is a free, confidential platform designed to help measure and manage a company's positive impact on their workers, community, customers and environment. The BIA assesses the impact of the company’s day-to-day operations and its business model—both what they do and how they do it. It focuses on giving businesses the ability to create value to their customers, employees and community, as well as the environment. The B Impact Assessment provides standards, benchmarks and tools to help businesses compare, improve and assess their impact. The assessment is a response-based questionnaire that generates a numeric score, and determines where improvements can be made to attract more customers and employees, recognise competitive advantages, and increase their reputation. To become a certified B corporation, a minimum score of 80 is required. Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all their stakeholders as part of the terms of the Certification.The B Impact Assessment is designed to increase a company's positive impact of day-to-day operations and business model. It allows companies to recognise their impact and take actions towards improving their impact. The assessment focuses on environmental impact and not directly biodiversity. The tool is helpful for benchmarking and guidance for action, but since it does not offer quanitfied impact analysis (the assessments are qualitative), it cannot be used to set quanitified targets. |
Low |
No |
n/a |
Company’s financials. It may be helpful to have either a Profit & Loss Statement or your accounting system (e.g. Quickbooks) open. Vendor Ledger with amount spent in the 12 months. This will help you answer many questions related to Suppliers. Product bill of materials or Client/Project list from the past 12 months. This may help answer many questions in the “Impact Business Models” section. |
Open access |
Easy to use |
Performance indicators that reflect response of companies, but does not reflect change in state in response to site-level management measures |
https://bimpactassessment.net |
| 1 |
Agrobiodiversity Index (ABDi) |
None |
CGIAR, European Commission, Italian Development Cooperation, CIAT, Bioversity International |
Agricultural commodities |
Methodology report |
The Agrobiodiversity Index (ABDi) was designed by Bioversity International to assess the risk of low agrobiodiversity in food and agricultural sectors (agrobiodiversity - the plants, animals and microorganisms used for food and agriculture - is recognised as a resource by the agricultural sector). It measures agrobiodiversity across 3 domains: nutrition, agriculture and genetic resources. The framework is based on 22 indicators, which can be used to assess components of agrobiodiversity in markets, consumption, agricultural production, genetic resource management and related actions and commitments. The first version of the ABDi was released in March 2019, and further updates are expected in 2021 and 2022. The framework is action-orientated, and identifies policy and business actions, good practises, risks and opportunities and areas for improvement, to increase the use and conservation of agrobiodiversity for sustainable food systems. The ABDi focuses mainly on the food sector rather than wider agricultural production. However, since the food and fashion sectors intersect, its analyses may be of value to companies involved in textiles as well. It has a range of applications that can support mitigation of impacts on biodiversity, including risk assessments, planning interventions, aligning with global policy and benchmarking against competitors. Commitment, action and status indicators are all relevant to what the company should be focussing on, and the guidance on use is clear. As its name implies, the tool assesses risks caused by low agrobiodiversity, such as vulnerability to pests and diseases, etc. Its focus is largely on the biodiversity of species that provide direct services to humans through agricultural production, rather than the status of biodiversity per se. The tool requires traceability to site-level. |
Low |
Yes |
Tool can be applied at multiple scales |
For countries: The main data sources for Commitment indicators are two major United Nations databases, covering nutrition policies (the Global database on the Implementation of Nutrition Action GINA) [4] and food and agriculture policies and legislation (FAOLEX) [5]. For companies and projects: The data sources are strategies, policies and reports downloaded from the official website of the company (e.g. sustainability and corporate responsibility reports, annual reports, guidelines). |
Open access |
Easy to use |
Measures actual impact and therefore responsive to site-level management measures |
https://www.bioversityinternational.org/abd-index/, Methodology: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/106478/Methodology_Index_1.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y |
