Formation of National Business and Ecosystems Leadership Group

The World Resources Institute hosted the first gathering of the Business and Ecosystems Leadership Group at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.. The effort is an innovative partnership between the non-profit and private sectors dedicated to advancing business strategies, markets and public policies that align corporate performance with ecosystem stewardship.

The initial meeting involved managers from a small group of Fortune 500 caliber companies that included Staples, John Deere, Plum Creek, Coca Cola’s bottling company, Syngenta North America and Eko Asset Management Partners. The group reviewed the latest developments in ecosystem offset markets, new federal environmental policies, and mapped out the future expansion of the group to include companies that represent the full spectrum of the American economy. The goal is to form an ongoing roundtable of member businesses that will develop ways to reduce the negative impacts of their various production processes on the nation’s ecosystems and encourage the adoption of practices that will stimulate biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

The group is the first of its kind in the United States, and will be supported on a fee-for-service basis. Over time, the World Resources Institute aims to change the way corporate culture in the United States perceives and relates to the environment.

Blackstone Ranch Institute provided the funding for the inception meeting.