What the Global Biodiversity Framework says about regulations on corporations

The document analyzes Targets 14, 15, and 16 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It acknowledges the goal of integrating biodiversity into regulatory processes and reducing corporate impacts but criticizes the reliance on 'carrot' rather than 'stick' approaches. Specifically, it argues that self-reporting mechanisms like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and corporate-led labelling facilitate greenwashing. The author highlights the omission of human rights from Target 15 and the absence of coherent international systems to regulate transnational corporations (TNCs), urging civil society to use the GBF to challenge inadequate national policies.

• Target 14 of the GBF seeks to integrate biodiversity considerations into all regulatory processes across all government levels and sectors, specifically those with high biodiversity impacts, and requires alignment of public and private activities and financial flows with the framework.
• Target 15 aims to reduce the negative biodiversity impacts of businesses and transnational corporations (TNCs) and promote sustainable production, but the document argues the pathways to achieve this are inadequate because they rely on 'encouraging' rather than mandating behavior.
• The reliance on self-reporting and platforms like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is criticized for enabling corporate greenwashing, as TNFD does not require TNCs to disclose operational locations, supply chains, or allegations of human rights and environmental harms.
• Target 16 focuses on enabling sustainable consumption through supportive policies and information, but the document claims this shifts the burden to consumers and relies on unreliable corporate labelling.
• The GBF is criticized for the absence of concrete regulations and the removal of human rights protections from the negotiation text of Target 15, which the author suggests reflects a lack of willingness by States and TNCs to respect human rights.

APA

Marien, N. (2024). What the Global Biodiversity Framework says about regulations on corporations. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GBF-Factsheet-Regulations-1.pdf

Chicago

Marien, Nele. What the Global Biodiversity Framework says about regulations on corporations. Friends of the Earth International, 2024. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GBF-Factsheet-Regulations-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Marien |first1=Nele |title=What the Global Biodiversity Framework says about regulations on corporations |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GBF-Factsheet-Regulations-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{marien2024what, author = {Marien, Nele}, title = {{What the Global Biodiversity Framework says about regulations on corporations}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GBF-Factsheet-Regulations-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }