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The Natural Capital Coalition selected the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the International Union for Conservation of Nature to develop the Natural Capital Protocol, a methodology for companies to assess their reliance on natural capital. The organizations will also lead pilot projects with major companies to test the protocol.

The Coca-Cola Company, The Dow Chemical Company, and Kering are among 10 companies to begin testing and refining the new Natural Capital Protocol, in collaboration with the Natural Capital Coalition and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. The participating companies will use the Protocol to assess water use opportunities and risks in site-specific locations, explore methods for aligning strategic business decisions with natural capital assessment results, and more.

The Natural Capital Coalition launched the Natural Capital Protocol, a framework for harmonizing natural capital valuation across business sectors. The framework was developed over the last two years with input from more than 450 organizations and has been piloted by companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Dow Chemical, Nestlé, and others.

A study released at the True Cost of American Food Conference brings in both natural capital costs - and benefits - to get a true picture of what it takes to produce food in the U.S.

Carnival, Kimberly-Clark, Intel, PG&E and Xerox are among 34 companies named to the Natural Capital Leaders Index, which recognizes companies that have grown their revenue between 2008 and 2012 while reducing their environmental impacts during that same period.

After months of consultation with stakeholders, the Natural Capital Coalition has published the first draft of a suggested framework to help businesses account for the value of natural resources such as water, soil, forests and even clean air in strategic decision-making.

Natural capital valuation offers water companies a powerful tool to identify sustainability challenges, engage stakeholders such as the chief financial officer and drive innovation in low-carbon technologies, a recent meeting of water industry executives concluded.

Net zero energy (NZE) buildings-responsible for the production of as much (or more) clean energy as they use annually-have been gaining global momentum. In our newly released Insight Brief, RMI presents an innovative business model for developing net zero energy or ultra-low energy districts in a way that creates significant business value. Net zero energy business models are financially attractive to investors because the large capital investments in solar PV, district heating and cooling, and energy efficiency are repaid over time on utility bills, generating a steady return that benefits from enhanced credit because of the utility-customer relationship.

The U.S. EPA Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System, released in 2013, removes many bottlenecks that kept ecosystem services from becoming an integral part of corporate decision-making.

Investing in natural capital such as water, soils and biodiversity limits risk and can drive profitability, leading companies say.

The world's third largest ice cream manufacturer R&R Ice Cream collaborated with Iona Capital and Veolia to convert inedible ice cream waste - the sugar, fat, and protein left behind after cleaning - into biogas that generates power for the UK National Grid. The company uses an anaerobic digestion facility to convert the ice cream waste into biogas.

Forest destruction accounts for nearly the same amount of global greenhouse gas emissions as the entire global transportation sector and deforestation rates are yet again on the rise. In response, 38 investors representing a half trillion dollars from across the globe have joined Green Century Capital Management to demand that companies reaffirm and extend zero-deforestation commitments specific to Latin America.

Conducting due diligence on the environmental and social practices of small and growing agricultural businesses yields financial benefits to lenders that partially or fully offset the costs involved, according to nonprofit agriculture lender Root Capital.

More businesses accept that they should account for water, fertile soil, forests, air and more. Far fewer are naming a price for these resources.

More businesses accept that they should account for water, fertile soil, forests, air and more. Far fewer are naming a price for these resources.

Nestlé, Walmart Chile, Coca-Cola Chile, PepsiCo, and Unilever have signed a partnership to reduce waste and support a new recycling network in Chile. The companies have backed the Collective Recycling Project, which aims to recycle about 1,200 metric tons of waste per year through the installation of five recycling centers in the capital of Santiago.

Archers Daniels Midland (ADM) said it would announce details of a new "No Deforestation" policy for soy and palm oil at its May 7 annual meeting. The move follows pressure from investors Green Century Capital Management and the New York State Common Retirement Fund.

On September 27, 2015, Paris will go car-free for the first time in the city's history to raise consciousness of its pollution problem and encourage sustainable transportation. City officials worked with the environmental nonprofit Paris Sans Voiture to announce "A Day Without Car," which will turn the French capital into a "pedestrian and bicycle paradise."

For Dow, this natural treatment decision in Seadrift led to some $39 million in initial capital savings and ultimately translated into some $282 million of Net Present Value benefits and counting.

Food and commodities giant ADM, which has reached over US$80 billion in revenues, says it will develop a no-deforestation policy in a move to source soy and palm oil more responsibly. The change occurred after a shareholder proposal, submitted by Green Century Capital Management and the New York State Common Retirement Fund, requested that ADM set quantitative goals for a reduction in supply chain impacts from deforestation....