Ecogain closes EBI - focuses on CLIMB 

Ecogain Biodiversity Index ends - now Ecogain focuses on CLIMB

Ecogain is ending its annual report Ecogain Biodiversity Index (EBI) to focus on the CLIMB initiative. CLIMB is a Swedish-developed model to quantify biodiversity and help companies calculate and plan their land use in a sustainable way.  

'We have achieved the goals we had with the EBI. Today, everyone knows that biodiversity loss is one of the greatest risks facing humanity. It is time to go one step further." says Ecogain founder Anders Enetjärn. 

Since 2018, the Ecogain Biodiversity Index (EBI) has examined how large companies report on biodiversity. The EBI has contributed to significant transparency and the issue has been put on the agenda in several companies. The Swedish business community has taken important steps forward over the years, with several pioneers communicating biodiversity targets. In 2022, the EBI was introduced on Nasdaq through the release of two reports: one for Europe's 300 largest listed companies and one for the 100 largest listed companies in the US. 

Ecogain is now taking biodiversity work a step further with its continued investment in CLIMB - a model that allows companies and industry to calculate the current state, negative and positive impacts on biodiversity. This makes it possible to plan and compensate for their impact on biodiversity. The new measurement tool can be used for credible and transparent reporting of biodiversity impacts and communicate the value of nature in a way that was not possible before. 

 "What's groundbreaking about CLIMB is that it allows for the calculation of nature losses - and gains - due to land use change." says Anders Enetjärn, founder of Ecogain. 

On May 22, CLIMB will be launched at Näringslivets Hus in Stockholm. Ecogain has invested in the project for three years together with ten major players in industry and the public sector. Several of them will be present at the launch to discuss the application and share their experiences from the development project. 

Ecogain continues to work to promote industry's ability to achieve business benefits by addressing biodiversity and contributing to sustainable land use. With CLIMB, Ecogain and partners want to make it easier for companies to minimize their negative impact on nature, gain better predictability in environmental assessments and meet the new requirements and expectations that come with companies' work with and reporting on biodiversity. 

 

FACTS CLIMB

CLIMB is an acronym for Changing Land Use Impact on Biodiversity and is a collaborative project between Ecogain and a number of actors in Swedish industry. The project takes place within the Strategic Innovation Program Swedish Mining Innovation and is a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency. The model is used to calculate the current situation and the positive and negative impact on biodiversity in connection with changes in land use.  

CLIMB can be applied, inter alia, to: 

  • compare localizations and layouts 

  • understand and evaluate the different impacts of investments  

  • increase predictability in environmental assessment 

  • enable follow-up against targets 

  • report impacts on biodiversity  

  • develop new biodiversity indicators 
     

The basic formula for the measurement tool is based on the British DEFRAS Biodiversity Metric, but in CLIMB it has been further developed and adapted to Nordic conditions. CLIMB uses standardized input data and expert knowledge to plan, prioritize and count parameters for restoration and compensation - resulting in profitability for both the company and nature. READ MORE

Susanne B Olsson